What's Going in My Holiday Suitcase?

What's Going in My Holiday Suitcase? 

So, this is a bit late, I said I was going to post this days ago but I had an exam and got a tiny bit sidetracked!   So here we are, the summer holidays (in the UK at least) are creeping ever closer and my own vacation to Portugal is only a short time away!

So whenever I've had free time I've been online or hitting the shops, ordering/picking up little things as I go to  take away with me!  

I hope you enjoy me sharing with you, what I fell are essentials to take in your suitcase, I know I love reading/watching videos like this so, yeah! 

Clarins - Extra-Comfort Cleansing Cream, 200ml - £25.00

So I was looking for a less expensive makeup remover/cleanser than the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm which is extortionate, £34.00 for only 100ml! Aye that'll be right! I am a massive fan of Caroline Hirons, Beautymouth blog and this came up! I had spotted it before in Clarins and was looking for the perfect opportunity to purchase it, this cream takes the consistency of a moisturizer type thing, not extremely thick! It comes with a little instruction manual and a spatula! The instructions are, to warm the product in your hand and then pat your face to create a 'suction effect', which draws impurities out. With a full face of makeup I'll pat and then massage it into my skin, then wash it off. It saids you can 'tissue off' not a chance, I wouldn't risk keeping Shea Butter on my skin all night, I have a oily/combination skin and I personally don't think its that good for facial skin. It does mention that this is for 'dry' skin, but if you wash it off thoroughly enough it won't cause you any problems and it is very soothing for irritated skin. This is perfect for holiday, the sun can be very drying and this will just absorb into your skin and keep it moisturized. You can pop it in the fridge also, so at night after a long day of sweltering heat the cool cream will just feel delish!

Clarins - Sun Wrinkle Control Cream For Face, High Protection UVB/UVA 30, 75ml - £18.00

After going on a few beach holidays you begin to realize slapping generic body sunscreen on your face is a NO NO! For me personally, no matter what brand I purchase, I end up with the oiliest, spottiest and irritated skin after a week of slathering it over my face. Even brands who claim the sunscreen is multipurpose and can go on not only your body but your face, and who have managed to deceive me several times, are wrong (in my personal opinion). So I pushed the boat out and purchased this Sun Cream for my mug! Specially formulated for just facial skin, to prevent against visible premature aging. You should be preventing against aging even when you don't have wrinkles! Don't be deceived, it's not just 'older' people who have to do this. So you can just pop this on, its filled with lots of lovely plant extracts and light oils! I've not opened it yet so can't give you an idea of the consistency but I've heard lots of fabulous things about this product, how it gives a really even tan so I'm super excited about using it! Its a really cute size so I can just pop it in my beach bag for the pool! 

Clarins - Beauty Flash Balm, 5ml & One Step Facial Cleanser, 10ml & One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, 5ml - FREE! 

So, I don't know if this is a promotion going on around the entirety of the UK or abroad but the Clarins where I am have this little thing going! You buy two Clarins products, I think its two skincare items and you get three free samples of your choice and a beach bag! The beach bag is really lovely for being free, and lord knows I love a freebie. It's bright pink and orange, colors that are really in style this season! If I remember correctly you could pick from a range of stuff for different ages, so it's a really lovely deal! 

Illamasqua - Paranormal Palette - £34.00 & Lipstick in the shade, Over - £16.50

So far with Illamasqua as a brand I have not had a good experience let me tell you, if you don't already know, around a week ago they posted 50% off code on their twitter to use on their website and everyone was freaking the hell out! No wonder I thought, that's a fantastic deal! So I jumped on the bandwagon and went online, and could I get the website to work? NO I couldn't, it was throwing me out and all sorts. I later found out it was because of the huge volume of people using the site that was causing this problem. I got in contact with the company and they gave me another code to use the day or so after when the website was quiet. The stuff arrived and needless to say, something was missing, the cream blush, I can't tell you my disappointment! So apparently it was out of stock and they never emailed me or got in contact, so they took money out my account and never delivered what I was owed. Confusing, but in the end up they refunded me the money. 

So yeah, the reason why I ordered this was because the palette is ideal to take on the plane and keeps your baggage light as we all know how expensive it can be if you go over your baggage allowance! The colors are highly pigmented and perfect for summer. I got a lipstick that I thought would compliment the palette, its a slightly coral pink, relatively bright and versatile! If you're going on a short holiday this palette would be all you would need, if you take just one other darker eye shadow with you, you can transform a bright day look into a more sultry night look in minutes! 

Lee Stafford -  BREaKiNG HAiR, Leave In Treatment, 75ml - £7.99

To prevent against the dreaded frizzy hair that the humidity abroad brings you need to be treating your hair with something like this product after every time you wash your hair! It has a UV filter and prevents against the hair drying out! I'm sure this will be my holy grail on holiday, to keep my hair as smooth and soft as it is at home. My hair naturally, even though I style and dye it is pretty soft and I want to keep it like that! Its tiny and obviously, like a lot of the things I've been buying are small and light to I can actually put more in my case! 

Avon - Latin Sensation perfume & Nailwear Pro+ Enamel in the shade Manderin Magic - £2.99 reduced from £6.00 

My lovely auntie had these lying in her drawer from an AVON order a few weeks ago and she gave me them as a gift for my holiday! This orange has golden shimmer in it, really bright and vivid! The Latin Sensation perfume is inspired by Strictly Come Dancing, its a really lovely scent, warm and woody with a hint of cardamom and one thing I really do love about it is the longevity of it, I can put it on in the morning and 5/6 hours later the smell is still extremely strong! The purse size is ideal again for holiday baggage, I keep mentioning this but it is so important! Keeping it light! Also, taking mini versions of what you already have is a savvy idea, you all know how rough the airlines employees are with hold baggage and bottles of perfume can become easily smashed. Being able to take delicate items on the plane is a smart idea and prevents this problem!

Soap and Glory - Sugar Crush Body Scrub, 300ml - £8.00

To be able to get a even and intense tan you need to exfoliate at least three days before go on holiday, as this means you are removing the dead skin cells and you are exposing the fresh skin! You can exfoliate every three days while you're away, it keeps your skin so soft and I swear by this product. This strub is the single yummiest thing I have ever smelt, I want to just eat it, the smashed brown sugar is the 'scrubby' part of the formula. It smells good enough to eat, I recommend you use this in the shower, step away from the water and in circular motions buff it over your skin, you could even combine it with a exfoliating mitt! I just use my hands as it leaves them beautifully soft! Then rinse! It will really promote tanning while you're away! 

Mitchum Advanced Control - 48 Hour Anti-Persperant Deodorant Stick, 41g -£3.20 & Batiste Travel Size Dry Shampoo, Tropical - Around a pound! 

Lets not kid ourselves on, woman sweat, and no it's not perfume! Its perfectly unpleasant. So you need a really hardcore deodorant to keep you fresh in the heat! Remember you'll probably sweat twice as much abroad so normal deodorant won't cut it! I think deo sticks are always more hard duty and longer lasting, this one claims to last for 48hrs, I wouldn't push it that far but it really does last! Cheap and does exactly what it saids on the tin! It's pretty compact to, so fits in a beach bag or clutch fine! The scent described is 'powder fresh', so has a slight sent! 

Vaseline - Healthy Hand and Nail Conditioning Lotion, 75ml - £3.41

I always get my nails done before I go on my holidays, this year I've opted for a Shellac Manicure, which is polish that lasts for up to 2 weeks, I've heard so many good things so giving it go! I want to grow my nails to a half decent length, but after biting my nails for years when I was younger, once they get to a certain length they just break! I've been using this cream every night and morning, along with always keeping a coat of nail polish on. It seems to be doing a good job, not a breakage yet and my nails look extremely healthy, one for the plane I think! Air travel sucks the life out your skin, so keeping moisturized is a must! 

Misguided - Neysa Off Shoulder Long Sleeve Chiffion Dress in Mint - £19.99

So many youtubers and bloggers I follow rave about Misguided as a company, and I wasn't disappointed one bit, the quality of the clothing for the price is insane! This off the shoulder dress is perfect for dinner at night when abroad and can be dressed up easily with a cute belt and some jewelry. It's ideal even for a day trip, paired with a blazer and a cute pair of converse! It has a underskirt so you can wear it out without embarrassment, while still keeping you cool! The mint color is classic and also very on trend at the moment, watch out for this colour, it'll be taking over soon!

Misguided - Junithe Grecian Chiffion Maxi Dress In Mint - £24.99
This dress is more for a fancy dinner or event while you're on holiday! Its elegant, the material feels great and just a really high quality dress! I plan on wearing this at night for dinner, just cause its so versatile and lightweight. I love the way it has a sort of roman feel to it! Again the color, which is perfect and trust me mint is one of the hottest colours this season so stock up!

ASOS - Mix and Match High Waisted Bikini Pant - £14.00 & Mix and Match 50s Halter Padded Bikini Top - £14.00

Finally, my first bikini, I'll have to purchase a few, but I decided I'd have a more expensive one and a few cheaper ones. This little number from ASOS is great if you're body conscious and don't like getting your lower tummy out, it sucks all the jiggly bits in and makes your waist look much smaller.  A very flattering bikini overall! The color, it just pops out from the skin and will look gorgeous with a tan! The clip is handy and means you don't have to fiddle about with tying knots etc. A very secure top!


So there we have it, I hope this has been helpful and given you a insight into the kind of things you should be taking on holiday! Brace yourself as there will be a whole load more of posts like this on there way, including much more clothing and makeup products. Stay tuned guys!

Sarah x x