WHAT TO PACK IN YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAY MAKEUP BAG

Hello everyone! So back at the start of summer i first shared a drugstore beach holiday makeup post, which focused mainly on more "day/beach" makeup products and not evening time/multi purpose products. With that in mind for today's post, i thought i would put a spin on things and share with you more of a must-pack post...

1. choose wisely when picking a makeup bag

Tip number one and probably one of the most important ones is, when it comes to choosing a makeup bag to take away with you. Personally i always use the ones from Skinnydip, as you can not only fit a large amount into a compact space, you can also see what you are searching for yet the designs are still really nice.

2. save space + pack mini/travel size products

This doesn't just apply to makeup but also toiletries like shower gels, shampoos and toothpastes. Although an important one for me is mini sized skincare products, which you can picks up in sets/gift with purchases or free as a beauty counter and i like to save them for when i am travelling anywhere. This is such a great way of taking all the products you are going to need, as well as saving space and not wasting product. 

3. skincare/hydrating products

Kind of sticking with the skincare mini/travels theme, a must pack for summer holiday is your skincare and more specifically hydrating products. The reason being is as you are more likely going to be in the sun a lot, you are going to want to re-hydrate your skin and add moisture back in from what the sun has soaked up.

4. different shades of foundation

This is a must pack thing for me also and that is two different shades of foundation, as at the start of the holiday you are obviously going to be less tanned than you will be during the mid-end of your holiday and that is where the darker shade will come in. Also by having two different shades, if you are an in-between shade you can simple mix a little of the two together to create a shade that matches you.

5. opt for a liquid highlighter/more natural highlighter

Wearing a liquid/cream highlighter on holiday is much more light weight than layering multiple products, also you are probably going to want to opt for something a little more natural (especially if it is humid in the evenings) nobody wants to be a shine-y mess.

6. setting powder/setting spray

Talking of a shine-y mess, another must pack item is definitely setting powders and setting sprays. Not only will this keep your makeup from moving around during the evening, but it will also keep you shine free and this even applies to me being a normal-dry skin type (so if you are more of and oily skin type you are definitely going to want to touch up). Setting sprays will also add another layer of shine protection, as well as hydrating your skin and allow you to feel a little more refreshed.

7. multiple lip products + different shades

I am all about the nudes but when it comes to being on holiday, you are going to want to be sassy from time to time and wearing a brighter/different coloured lip. A lot of lip products are super sleek/compact packaging wise, so you can afford to pack a handful if you wanted to (as long as you have different options).

8. opt for sleek/smaller packaged products

Finally and still talking about packing multiple products, you are also want to be wise about what size of product you are going to take. Definitely ditch your bulky eyeshadow/cheek palettes for the week and opt for something sleeker or smaller, this way you are freeing up space for other key essential products.

Catch up on my previous post HERE...

xo.

GOODREADS | SUMMER/BEACH HOLIDAY ROMANCE READS

Hello everyone! When it comes to summer who doesn't love to switch out the cosy-ing up reading a good book, to sitting out in the sunshine with a good book and even more so when you are on holiday. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you some perfect new/currently released romance reads from goodreads, that are perfect to download to your Kindle before you jet off for some fun in the sun...

1. all the way (romancing manhattan #1) - kristen proby | kindle |

Finn Cavanaugh is known for being a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom. He owns a successful law firm with his brother and brother-in-law in Manhattan. On the rare occasion that he has down time, he spends it at his home in Martha’s Vineyard. But when Finn’s troubled niece goes to stay with him for the summer in Martha’s Vineyard, he’s reluctant to take time off from work. That is, until he meets his beautiful new neighbour, London. London Watson is a Tony Award winning actress on Broadway. When tragedy strikes her family, leaving her alone and injured, she flees Manhattan for Martha’s Vineyard. Hoping she can figure out how to pick up the pieces of her life, London is convinced that she’ll never be able to return to the stage. But when she meets the charming young girl next door and her sexy uncle, they soon lure London out of her shell as she finally begins to heal from the wounds of her past. (coming August 21st).

2. part-time lover - lauren blakely | kindle |

I'll say this about Christian, he made one heck of a first impression. When I first saw the strapping man, he was doing handstands naked on a dock along the canal. His crown jewels were far more entertaining than anything else I'd seen on the boat tour, so I did what any curious woman would do -- I took his photo. I might have looked at the shot a few dozen times. Little did I know I'd meet him again, a year later, at a secret garden bar in the heart of the city, where I'd learn that his mind and his mouth were even more captivating. But given the way my heart had been trampled, I wanted only a simple deal -- No strings. No expectations. Our arrangement worked well enough until the day I needed a lot more from him...

3. driven series - k.bromberg | kindle |

Our paths should never have crossed. Colton Donavan was arrogant, exuded that bad boy vibe, and embodied everything I never wanted. And yet all it took was one chance meeting, one mistaken identity, and one stolen kiss for me to know I hated him and desired him instantly. My heart was healing. His soul was damaged. There’s no way we could work. But after one impromptu date, one little boy who needed help, and one Ferris wheel ride, pieces of my heart were lost to him. Even though he wouldn’t let me in, I couldn’t walk away. This is our story.  Our fight.  Our perfectly imperfect love. (my current book series read, movie coming to Passionflix soon).

4. worth the risk - k.bromberg | kindle |

This whole contest was supposed to be easy. I know, I know. Famous last words. It’s a long story, but I messed up at work. Big time. To earn back the trust of my boss, I promised to save one of our magazines. Yep. That Hot Dad contest you’ve seen advertised all over the place was my idea. And if I’m successful, if I’m able to increase our online readership, then I get a shot at my dream job. But the one thing I never expected to happen, happened: Contestant number ten, Grayson Malone. Hello, Mr. Difficult. And did I mention sexy as hell? Unfortunately he knows me. The old me, anyway. And while we might be older now, I remind him of before. Of the woman who broke his heart, who hardened him, and who left him alone to raise the cutest little boy I’ve ever seen. But I don’t want a relationship. And I definitely don’t fall for single dads with baggage. Even ones with chiselled abs and killer smiles. But he got to me. They got to me. He and his son and their messy, crazy life. But I got to him too. I see the stolen glances. I feel the walls he built start to crumble. I recognise that there’s an unexpected beauty to the chaos in his life. And now that the contest is about to end, we’re left to decide whether the last six months were just fun or if what we have is worth risking it all?

5. trophy wife - alessandra torre | kindle |

Everyone in Nashville knows Nathan Dumont. That’s what happens when you develop half a town and sleep with the rest. Four years ago, his fiance disappeared. Last night, he proposed to me. I had wanted to escape my life, the seedy strip club and the mountain of bills. I had seized the opportunity to live in a mansion, fill my days with country clubs and caviar, my nights with romance and sex. Maybe I should have done my homework first.

6. sweet little lies - jill shalvis | kindle |

What if you fall for the one guy you can't have? As the captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru Harris can handle rough seas - the hard part is life on dry land. Especially when it comes to resisting her growing feelings for her new friend, Finn O'Riley. He's kind, he's gorgeous and he's Mr Right - for anybody but her. Pru has a particular reason for wanting Finn to find happiness and it's what she wishes for at the historic fountain that's supposed to grant her heart's desire. But things get tricky when it becomes clear that, when it comes to Pru, there's more than friendship on Finn's mind - because she's been keeping a secret that could change everything...

Catch up on a similar post HERE...

xo.

SUMMER BEAUTY HACKS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Hello everyone! Let's be honest Summer is pretty much the best season there is, right? I mean there is no better than feeling the sun/warm on your skin. That being said the warm weather can make your skin not be happy, leaving you looking like a sweaty mess when wearing your regular makeup, hair or skincare routine. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you some of my personal favourite Summer beauty hacks, that actually make a huge difference...

 1. switch out your winter favourites, replacing them with summer favourites

Ditch the super heavy smoky eye looks, replacing them with something light/simple like a shimmery gold eye look or a simple neutral shade blended out. Step away from the vamp-y lip shades, replacing them with a simple nude/glossy lip or tinted balm. Natural glowing skin, is a summer must.

2. how to stop your eyelids from creasing

I know for me something i do struggle with when the weather is warm is eyeshadow creasing, which never happens during the winter months. This is where a good eyeshadow primer does come in handy, such as the Urban Decay Primer Potion as nothing will budge if you are wearing this. 

3. how to stop your mascara from transferring

This is such a simple hack but an extremely effective one to stop your mascara from transferring onto your under-eye area or eye lids, which is to switch out your regular go-to mascara for the waterproof version. I know waterproof mascara can be a pain to get off at the end of the day, but with the right eye-makeup remover you will be mascara free in seconds.

4. use the foundation you know works well for you

If you are opting for foundation or a tinted moisturiser in the summer, make sure it is one that you know is going to last in the heat or one that is specifically designed to last the duration. Some of my favourites are the Maybelline Fit Me, Estée Lauder Double Wear or Double Wear Nude.

5. exfoliate/moisturise regularly

When it comes to summer taking care of your skin especially your legs, as you are obviously going to be shaving/removing hair more often than you probably would in winter. Exfoliating your skin is super important as it reduces the chances of getting ingrown hairs, as well as any dead skin. Moisturise your skin straight after shaving, that is going to drastically reduce any irritation.

6. argan oil/oil's will be your best friend

Humidity can be a pain, especially on certain hair types (mine included) you can do your hair perfectly straight until you step out into the heat, then you look more like Simba from the Lion King. A simple trick to prevent/ease frizz is by adding Argan Oil to the lengths of your hair after washing and before styling. Argan Oil is really good for also keeping your skin super hydrated.

7. keep your feet feeling/looking fresh

Obviously in summer you are wearing sandals/having your feet on display a lot more than you would during winter. So keeping your feet and heels, looking/feeling fresh is a must and an easy way to keep the cracked heels away is to simply apply either vaseline or foot cream to your feet every night before bed.

 8. invest in a setting spray

Another great way of keeping your makeup in place all day long, is to invest in a good setting spray. You can apply a small amount before and after applying makeup to help lock it into place, as well as applying more through-out the day to freshen/re-hydrate your skin. Setting spray is a great way of avoiding applying layers and layers of powders, when touching up.

9. use more cream/liquid form products rather than powders

During summer wearing too many powder form products can feel super heavy on the skin, just like i mentioned with the whole using setting spray over powder for touch-ups. The products you can switch from powder to cream/liquid form are blush, contour and highlighter. Cream/liquid products once blended out, also look a lot more natural unlike some powders.

10. disguising those tan lines

Hate wearing a certain outfit that shows off a different outfits/swimsuits awkward tine lines? You can disguise/cover them instantly simply by applying a little moisturiser to the white line areas before applying a little self-tan to the same areas, making sure you blend it out of course to make it look as natural as possible.

Catch up on my previous post HERE...

xo.

DRUGSTORE BEACH HOLIDAY MAKEUP

Hello everyone! So when we are on holiday sometimes we want to go makeup free (with sunscreen of course) but there also might be times when we might want that little something extra, whether that be for taking pictures at the beach or maybe from only getting a few hours sleep the nights before. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you the four beach/summer makeup products from the drugstore that are the perfect combination for a natural yet glowing base...

nip + fab makeup primer water | £9.95 |

Of course the most important step before applying any makeup whether you are at the beach or in the sun in general, is to make sure you prep your skin by doing your regular skincare routine and applying face SPF. The next step is preping/priming, creating a base for other products to be applied on top of and a primer water is the perfect beach ready product. Unlike a cream based primer, a primer water is going to sink into the skin quicker and leave your skin feeling/looking hydrated. This one from Nip + Fab is definitely one of my favourites i have tried from the drugstore and of course it comes in at just under £10.

bourjois radiance reveal concealer | £7.99 |

This look can be achieved with or without foundation but if you are going to be catching some rays, you don't really want to be sat with something heavy on the face. That is why this particular concealer from Bourjois comes in perfect, as it is going to give your that radiant coverage yet it is super lightweight on the skin. You could simply just apply this to the under-eye area, down the bridge of the nose, forehead as well as the chin area and blend out with either a damp beauty blender or brush for more coverage.

rimmel insta contour stick | £6.99 |

This is one of those products that i pretty much reach for every single time i want to go for a more cream bronzed look and it happens to be perfect, especially for adding a natural sun-kissed bronze to the face. I was always super scared to use cream bronzer/contour products until i tried this one out, as it is super creamy and easy to blend out. I usually opt for the shade medium but it also comes in a light shade, which i am having to use at the moment because i am all out of medium. If you wanted to keep this to a bare minimum you could keep it down to three items, as this contour stick is dual ended and comes with a cream highlight shade on the other side.  

maybelline x gigi hadid strobing liquid in the shade gold | £9.99 |

Moving onto the final product which is personally my favourite and the one that is going to pull the whole look together, giving you a natural yet dewy golden/bronzed beach look. This strobing cream can be used multiple ways, which is what i like so much about this style of product. You can either apply some of this to the face and blend it out for an all over dewy skin look, mixed in with foundations and also to selected areas of the face where the light would naturally hit. Another favourite of mine from the drugstore which is equally as beautiful, is the MUA prism strobe cream in the shade golden ray which is just £4 from Superdrug.

Catch up on my latest travel makeup post HERE...

xo.

EIGHT PRODUCTS TO KEEP YOU SMELLING BEACH-Y THIS SUMMER

Hello everyone! Following Friday's instalment where i talked about all things Travel lusting, which you can catch up on here if you didn't do so already. It really got me in the mood for talking all things summer, as well as getting in the summer mood (especially with all the lovely weather we have been having recently). One of my favourite things about summer is those typical beach-y scents, especially coconut scented products. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share you eight products that will keep you smelling beach-y this summer...

1. colab paradise dry shampoo

When it comes to hair, a lot of us tend to be made up of at least 85% dry shampoo come the end of the week and more so during the summer months. Not only does this dry shampoo leave your hair smelling all tropical and coconut scented, it will also leave your hair looking and feeling fresh/sweat-free. The best thing about this dry shampoo is you aren't left with that annoying white powder finish, some other brand dry shampoos have.

2. freshly baked london coconut tanning mousse

Who doesn't love a good tan during the summer? in-fact i love a good tan all year round and there is a way to have a tan without smelling like biscuits. There are so many different brands on the market at the moment launching coconut scented tanning products but this one from Freshly Baked London, is a lot more affordable than some others costing just £14 compared to over £30 from those other brands.

3. superdrug coconut oil with argan oil

If taking the more natural/raw products are more your thing, you can still keep yourself smelling beach-y with this limited edition coconut oil with argan oil. How genius this this oil? as it is the perfect mix of two of my favourite go-to formulas that i know work wonders for my skin and hair. This will also not break the bank as it retails for just £2.49 for a 125ml tub.

4. bath & body works copper coconut 3-wick candle
Keeping the beach-y themed scents alive beyond the way you smell personally, you can also keep your home smelling summery also simply by switching up your candles. This copper coconut candle is the perfect mix of coconut and a day at the beach type of scent, with the added warmth in its notes. Another favourite of mine is the coconut splash candle by Yankee Candle, which i featured in my latest must-try spring/summer candles post.

5. being by sanctuary spa hibiscus and coconut water body mist
I have always been a fan of Sanctuary Spa products, but i am completely obsessed with this Being range from the brand. First of all how cute is all of the packaging? Second of all they have a wide range of different products, several scented body mists included and this one hands down has to be my favourite because of the summery scent it throws off. This body mist is the perfect mix of sweet, yet exotic/slightly fruity with a hint of warmth.

6. primark bronze dewy glow gold face & body butter
I have mentioned a couple of these products from the Bronze collection at Primark in a recent testing primark beauty first impressions post and in that post i mentioned how obsessed i am with this range, especially the dewy glow face and body butter. I have been wearing this every single day since i picked it up, i love how dewy yet natural this makes your skin look as well as adding the perfect golden glow and what makes this product that much better is that it smells like coconut.

7. palmer's coconut oil formula products
One of my favourite coconut scented ranges definitely has to be the one by Palmer's and for so many different reasons. Not only do the brand got the scent of coconut perfect, the products actually work especially for me and my normal-dry skin type. Some of my favourite go-to products which i reach for a lot are the weightless shine dry oil, the body lotion and the leave-in conditioner. I actually recently switched up my "everyday tan" to a palmer's one and i am really enjoying using it.

8. bath & body works island white sand super smooth body lotion
One of the most effective ways to leave you smelling all beach-like and "coconutty" is probably going to be from smothering yourself in lotion, which is not only going to make your skin smell delicious, it is also going to keep your skin super soft and hydrated. Your skin need moisture all year round, as the cold can draw out the moisture but so can the sun and warmth. There are so many different coconut scented body lotions available to buy from as little as £1, favourites of mine are the Boots own brand, the Palmer's one and also the M&S essentials one.

Catch up on my flawless no makeup, makeup for s/s HERE...

xo.