Beach Beauty Essentials

 

Today is the daaaaay! When you read this I'll be flying out for a summer holiday with the gal pals, and obviously as a beauty blogger I have a few essentials for a holiday in the sun (besides a mojito.)

 

The most important thing in my opinion, above make up, is a summer fragrance - having a special scent for an event creates a memory that can be accessed every time you pick up the same fragrance again, and so my favourite perfume for a trip somewhere hot is the 'Sun Kiss' scent from The Body Shop, which comes in a gorgeous ombre bottle and smells pretty and feminine, not sweet or floral but somewhere in between.

 

A nail polish is a clear winner when the sandals are coming out, and I went for this pastel lilac shade from Barry M in the colour 'Berry'. To be honest I think a better name could have been chosen, but I still love it all the same. The other essential other than make up is a selection of travel size minis of your go-to products; my Mum picked me up this adorable little Garnier Micellar Water to take away with me, and I've got some other mini products like a Simple face wash and some Colgate toothpaste.

 

 

Make up wise, I'm skipping the foundation - although I'll be going out at night I don't think the 'sliding off your face' look is so hot around here. I am taking a concealer with me however, and an absolute essential in my opinion is to pick up a slightly darker shade for the nights when a tan is starting to develop - the perfect shade for my skin when it gets a tan is the Lasting Perfection concealer in the warmer colours. I'm taking my beloved TooFaced Chocolate Soleil bronzer with me, as the warm brown is perfect for a holiday bronze, but I have to admit I am terrified of packing this on the odd chance it gets smashed or my case gets lost (is that irrational??)

 

As for highlight, which just can't be left back at home in England, I'm thinking that Sun Beam by Benefit is definitely the way to go. Its a gorgeous golden shimmer that I think will look amazing with a tan, and its a product with staying power, and one that doesn't need to be layered with another highlight, which is obviously a bonus when trying to pack as light as you can.

 

I bet you were expecting me to recommend a trusty waterproof mascara here weren't you? I'm sorry but nothing makes me want to whack on a product that involves the ripping out of lashes to take off. I can't get on board with waterproof mascara - its so stubborn! I'd rather have naked lashes at the pool thank you, so instead I'm taking my trusty Push Up Glamour by Bourjois for the evenings. Nothing makes my lashes pop more than this beauty. Last but not least, I'm turning to gloss for lip products, since it would look rather odd to skimp on face products and then layer on the lippie. My favourite for the summertime is Hoola by Benefit, but I'm sure a couple of NYX Butter Glosses will slip into my carry on, as always.

 

What are your essentials for travelling to a hot destination for a holiday on the beach?

 

A Boots Haul For Y'all

 

Hi guys,

I realise I've been completely MIA this past month! Its been a shock to the system how tough the exam period was, but now its over and I'm so glad to be getting my blog back on track. This post was meant to go up weeks ago, but I accidentally posted it on bloglovin before it was written up, and you know how annoying it is to try and get a post taken down from your BL page (although, they've just enabled a feature so you can do it yourself, Hallelujah). So this is take two of my boots haul; I didn't want to abandon it completely since I'm quite fond of these photos!

 

The Barry M Strobe Cream highlight is something I knew I had to pick up when I saw it on other blogs - I'm a complete sucker for a new highlight, particularly a cream, and this product has not disappointed me at all. I got the shade 'Iced Bronze' and although its a different tone to High Beam by Benefit, the two look amazing layered together, creating a gorgeous glow that could pretty much be seen from space. I also grabbed the Brow Kit from the Barry M stand, since I've been investing in a few more brow products recently; this shade is perfect for a brunette, and I particularly love the wax to set the brows in shape (I've been complimented on my brows by my Grandma since I started using this, and I think if your grandparents approve, its all good.) 

 

The Colour Elixir Glosses from Max Factor are something I've had my eye on for a while, the packaging is beautiful and the shade range is pretty darn good for a drugstore variety. I won't go into too much detail since I've got a separate post coming up based on these, but the two shades I picked up were 'Lustrous Sands' and 'Glossy Toffee'. The second I actually got in a free set when you spent over £15, and I also got this Eye Luminizer product, which I've got to be honest, I haven't yet tried! (But I probably should - if there's one product I need following exams, its an eye brightener to fix those dark circles.) The last thing I picked up from the stand was the 'Crème Puff' powder in Transparent, which I don't have a photo of but is pretty much your average face powder - I can't say I'm a huge fan of the powder as it smells a bit odd, but that's probably because I'm such a devoted fan of the Rimmel Translucent powder.

 

Now obviously if your local Boots has acquired a NYX stand, it would be rude not to have a look and pick up a couple of bits (I've since purchased five more items, actually help me). I absolutely adore the Butter Glosses, so I got the shade 'Fortune Cookie', and I picked up the powder blush in Taupe, which works wonders as a cool toned contour powder for my especially pale days. I think NYX is my favourite stand in the shop now, you can't beat the quality for the prices and I feel just as satisfied buying a new Butter Gloss as I do splashing out on a Benefit gloss.

 

What have you been buying lately? I'm so happy to be back!