Holiday Makeup

This is a bit of a long one but having done a blog post on how to pack your wash bag (link below) I thought it might be useful to see what I took on holiday with me make-up wise. I know this is a lot more than some of you but for me this is travelling light!

I spend most of a pool holiday with no make-up on but when we go out I put a little on. I take a few things that I am trying out and the everything else either has to be running out, easy to replace or a mult-tasker.

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All products are listed below - I've put an * next to ones mentioned or shown that aren't actually used in this video. If you see a product that you like you can always check out the directory on the blog (link below) to see a full review. If there isn't one and you'd like to see it then send me a message!

Blog product directory
How to Pack your Wash Bag

Em-J Brush roll (personal which I don't think she makes anymore)
The Makeup Armoury Canvas Pouch
Rosie for Autograph Cream Eye Shadow Stick (Sparkle & Magic shown)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (in Iced Mocha and Yoghurt)*
NYX HD Eye Shadow Base*
Accessorize Palette from years ago
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit
L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim
MAC Smoulder Eye Kohl*
Lancome Artliner*
Urban Decay Perversion mascara
Dr Jart Premium BB Cream*
Clarins Wrinkle Control SPF50*
Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation
Bobbi Brown Corrector in light bisque
Laura Mercier Caviar Eyeliner in Midnight*
Maybelline Better Skin Concealer
Kiko Velvet Touch Creamy Stick Blush in 02 Golden Peach
Daniel Sandler Waterbrush
NYX Wonder stick
Louise Young Blusher (in Mae and Dolly)
Cover FX Illuminating Setting Powder
Dior Rouge Baume in Lili
Louise Young Lip trio in Enigma*
MUD Lipstick in Lucky*
MAC lip pencil in Whirl
Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Lip Pencil in 714
Ilia Tinted Lip Balm in Nobody's Baby

Brushes:
Real Techniques Blush Brush
Daniel Sandler Waterbrush
Eco Tools Define*
Real Techniques Contour Brush
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
Louise Young LY16
Crown Brush BK38 Round Crease
Eco Microblending
Louise Young LY19
Laura Mercier Smokey Liner *
Eco Tools Angled Crease
Real Techniques Brow
Real Techniques Base shadow
Real Techniques shading brush
Eco Tools Spoolie
Louise Young LY16*
Bobbi Brown Lip Brush
Real Techniques Buffing Brush

How to Pack your Wash Bag

This may seem really obvious to some but it's actually something that has taken me a long time to get right. Being pretty obsessed with skincare and make-up meant I spent much of my teens and twenties traveling around with bulging wash bags and make-up kits - often adding masses of weight to my luggage and I'd say at least 70% of the stuff never needed or looked at.

In this list I'm not including the obvious things like toothpaste and toothbrush. I of course pack those and a small plastic box with cotton buds and pads in. I also always have a small size talc with me... can't bear clammy feet! I used to just be slightly scared of my wash bag, there was always something leaking in there and I'd just cram more stuff in. Now I start with an empty wash bag and pack what I need for that trip (thanks to my double wash bag situation which you can see below). It doesn't take very long and I no longer have the leak/terror issue. So here's how to pack your wash bag.

Friday Video - How The Sun Sees You by Thomas Leveritt

I'm going on holiday to France tomorrow and this year I'm feeling especially disorganised about it all, but one thing I'm not chaotic about is making sure I have enough of the right suncream. I'm vain enough that long before I had my son I was worried about not wearing the right SPF and now I'm a mother the worry of my little cherub getting burnt means I'm fully focused on suncare.

There are some things that I get all fired up about that then turns out not to be so much of a big deal but being protected in the sun isn't one of those things as this incredible video shows...

Also Happy Birthday Miss F, she originally sent this to me saying I had to see it so it seems fitting that I post it on her birthday

Adaptasun Tanning Body Lotion

I'm trying to teach myself about skincare and what ingredients do what, what our skin needs and what it really doesn't and as you can imagine, this is a huge field and therefore a slow process. One whole massive, huge aspect of it is sun protection. It is such a confusing and in-depth subject that I tend to avoid it all together and wear as high a factor as possible on my face (for vanity's sake, sun = wrinkles) and then slap on whatever I can when I remember the rest of the time with a low level terror of skin cancer constantly niggling away at me.

For the past couple of years I have been a devotee of Protect and Bronze and will resolutely buy this in factor 20 and 10 for every summer holiday and then use it til it's empty whenever that may be. This is not very safe - SPF does deteriorate over time so you should buy just enough for your needs and chuck it out when the summer/holiday is over. You should apply sun lotion at least every two hours if not more even if it says you just need to apply it once. But if you are like me and have only two levels of skin, pasty and burnt, then it's particularly difficult to get a tan if you are basting yourself in a high factor every couple of hours. Yes you are protected from skin cancer and that is the most important thing. But I would be lying if I said I didn't want to get a bit of a tan, I do, I'm practically see-through by the end of winter.

Make-up Shopping in New York - Friday Video

This video may make me look like I was very restrained whilst shopping in New York in October. I was restrained about make-up... what you not see are the heaps of clothes I also bought!

Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturiser in Ivory
Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Rose
Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF15 in Warm Beige

Make-Up I took on Holiday - Friday Video

I usually take about three bags of make-up on holiday with me to cover every possible eventuality... no I don't know either, but this year I took one. Yes one. Here's what was in it...

Hampton Sun Aftersun Moisturiser - Product of the Week

So although I didn't get sunburned on holiday (thanks to the amazing Adaptasun by Institut Esthederm) I have been using Hampton Sun Aftersun Moisturiser everyday to keep my lovely tan lasting as long as possible. Cooling, moisturising, and gorgeous smelling - this will be my go-to aftersun from now on. Expensive at around £30 but totally worth it - a little goes a long way and it really gives your tan longevity. Available from Space NK

Hampton Sun - SPF 70 for Kids

Slightly scary photo - still working out my new camera!

We have just been on a much needed holiday in France and, as Ned has inherited my fair skin,  I was really worried that he would get sunburn and so spent some time hunting around for suitable sun creams for children under 12 months. There's a lot to choose from and I took a couple with me but my favourite was definitely Hampton Sun's SPF 70 for Kids. It's not cheap at £33 (but you really can't put a price on your child's health) and the ease of the spray on application and the lovely smell made that rather steep price tag totally worthwhile.  In fact it was so easy to apply he was positively giggly about having it put on which made a nice change from the angry shrieking that usually ensues and it was so much quicker.

I reapplied this at least every 80 minutes when he was outside and we used it on nephew sometimes as well - there was still some left over and no evidence that he'd been in the sun at all (not a nappy tan line in sight). Highly recommended - I'm going to buy a bottle of this at the start of every summer.

What You Need to Know - Hampton Sun for Kids

• £33 for 148ml 
• SPF 70
• Spray action, non-greasey formula
• Twist close cap
• Available in the UK from Space NK,

Origins All-Purpose High-Elevation Cream

I cannot believe I haven't reviewed this yet - I used it as my moisturiser for the long flights to and from (and in) South Africa and it is just fantastic. The majority of my carry-on luggage is makeup and moisturisers but in future this is going to be the only moisturiser I'm going to take.

Everyone knows that flying is incredibly dehydrating but planes are also not exactly the best place to keep constantly moisturised. Never having tried the High-Elevation cream before I took all sorts of other moisturisers - Liz Earle's Super Balm and Face Moisturiser to name but two and as lovely as these are I didn't even get them out of my plastic freezer bag. Our flights were 6 hours to Dubai and then 8 hours from Dubai to South Africa I was expecting to be like a shrivelled old prune by the time we landed but using this cream once or twice per flight not only was I still completely moisturised when we landed but I kept my tan on the way home. I even managed to make my husband use some and because it was so easily absorbed he hardly complained at all!

This is a rich, non-greasy cream that can be used anywhere on the face and body and it's not only for when you are flying - it's great for helping out dry patches when you are on the ground; many people seem to use it instead of a regular handcream. This fast-absorbing emollient contains sunflower oil and Shea butter is calming and soothing, didn't aggravate my eczema and even though it is non-greasy you can feel it on moisturising your skin hours after using it. For £21 this is a no-brainer xx

Travalo

I think I must have spent about £75 on different varieties of portable atomisers that have just not worked at all. They are either impossible to fill without losing most of you scent or the leak everywhere, the most expensive one I bought (from John Lewis) comes apart completely in my hand bag about five seconds after it goes in no matter how securely I put it together.

So I'd given up on the whole thing. I know just drench myself in perfume or lug different bottles around on holiday which is a bloody nightmare. Just before I went to South Africa however, I got sent a Travalo to try out. It looked good and the principal seemed pretty sound but I was dubious. Surely it would not work.

I was wrong. It is fantastic. Totally worth the £12.49 price tag as I'm going to use this all the time. I usually buy my scent in the airport but I'd got some at Christmas and really didn't want to lug a whole bottle of Chanel around SA as it's my winter scent daaaaarling and I only really wanted it for plane journeys and sultry nights out. So I followed the instructions (remove the spray head from your perfume, put the Travalo on top of the nozzle peg and pump it up and down to fill it) and filled the Travalo up with the really easy pump action - and without breaking my scent bottle - and that was it. There's a level indicator window to show you how much scent is in there (you don't want to overfill it) and it is completely mess free. In it went to my plane freezer bag of products and I checked it every ten minutes for signs of breakage/leaks/crapness and it was perfect.

Holiday

I'm going to South Africa on holiday which I'm very excited about. There will be posts going up on here but I'm also going to try and post things on my other blog if I can work my phone... xx

Liz Earle Skin Tint

For those of your who are able to swan about on holiday without any make-up on but may want a little something for the evenings Liz Earle has just the thing. Having been at the forefront of natural skin care for years she's now branching out into 'colour' and the skin tint is the first step. It's an incredibly lightweight, blendable and easy to apply SPF15 foundation that gives fantastic coverage. I wore this throughout the summer when I needed something but didn't want to slap a lot of foundation on and thought it was great.

When I was on holiday in the South of France I actually found that after a day of sitting in the sun, sweating away I wanted it to be even lighter than it was so mixed it with a tiny amount of my normal moisturiser and it still gave complete coverage which was fantastic. Really love this product and can't wait for more in their new make-up range. xx

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation

Dr Perricone is a highly respected dermatologist who works with a number of celebrities and it was their famous faces that convinced him to come up with his No Foundation Foundation. This is my number one recommendation for foundation wearers to take on holiday. I can recommend tinted moisturisers, and I will soon, but if you want a bit more coverage then this is it as far as I'm concerned.

I personally think that if you are under 30 and going somewhere hot you probably really don't need a foundation, however, Perricone's No Foundation Foundation is so light that it feels more like a tinted moisturiser and it's anti-aging qualities are not too harsh to cause damage. It has SPF 30 which doesn't seem to affect the colour and coverage at all - it corrects skin's undertones, smooths fine lines and provides moisture to the skin rather than drying it out as some foundations can.

I love wearing this product - it really evened out my skin tone, covered blotches and gave my face such a natural finish, dewy but not too much. It is not the cheapest purchase at £48 for 30 ml but I really don't think you can put a price on getting products that do what they are supposed to while being safe for your skin. I also love the old fashioned packaging - like you've bought it from a proper pharmacy!

What You Need to Know - Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation

•  £48 or US$55
• 30ml
• SPF30
• Suitable for all skin types
• Available in the UK from Perricone MD, Selfridges, Feel Unique, Space NK
• Available in the US from Perricone MD, Sephora, 

Collection 2000 Shimmer Shades

I randomly bought this new bronzer compact in Way-to-Glow from Collection 2000 - something about the colours just called to me and it was only £4.19 which is barely anything for make up nowadays. Having owned it for five days I'm already tempted to get the blusher version, Blushalicious, not only for the reasonable price but for the ease of application, it's versatility and the fact that so far, Way-to-Glow seems to have amazing staying power.

If you are going to do major face contouring then you definitely don't want to use anything shimmery but for a bit of summer shape the two darker colours on this bronzing pallet are great just swept under the cheek bones and up to the temples. I then use the pinky colour lightly on the apples of my cheeks and then a few light circles of all the colours together over my cheeks... I definitely recommend this for people who want a bit of summer shimmer or anyone who's scared of bronzer, this gives you a subtle glow and is incredibly easy to build up should you want to. 

What You Need to Know - Way to Glow Shimmer Shade

• £4.19
• Packaging may break - as with a lot of high street purchases! 
• 4 shades
• Available in the UK from Boots,  Superdrug,

No 7 Stay Perfect Nail Varnish in So Simple

I've been looking for a light brown nail varnish for the last couple of weeks - my usual red felt a bit to vampy with my floaty summer dress which I wear to weddings at this time of year and I've tried a lot of bright pinks which always tend to look a bit streaky on me... and I just wanted an excuse to buy another nail varnish! I've not been hugely enamoured with the No 7 nail varnishes I've tried before but the So Simple colour looked perfect so I thought it was worth a go.

I really do adore the colour - its a really light beige, not at all sparkly but nice and glossy - very grown up. I also much preferred the new wider brush which really does make application much easier and even seems to get the colour right to the edges satisfactorily which I was dubious about originally (I thought bigger brush = more mess). It dried quickly and evenly and I am generally very pleased with it.

Not a very good photo but you can't see the chips!

Two things I feel I should point out - if you have been wearing darker colours you will really need to get them all off as any tiny bit of colour shows up. I know this sounds obvious but I can see little glimmers of red right down between my nail and cuticle which slightly annoys me (my own fault I know). Also I did manage to chip this after two days - I'm pretty sure that it's because of my angry way of typing - I definitely need to learn to use the pads of my fingers rather than hammering on the tops of my nails but just be aware of this. I will say that will this fantastic colour any chips are only noticeable to you and therefore it's another great colour for 'occasions'.

Having looked on the Boots website I see that quite a few people didn't like these new varnishes (all seemed to love the range of colours though) so it seems to be a bit 'Marmite'. I usually buy nail varnishes based on matching the colours that I need or want at the time rather than loving a particular brand (although I'm a big fan of Toma and Revlon) and I sort of advise you to do the same. I think every one's idea of the perfect nail varnish is completely different - you just have to try for yourself. I would definitely want to try out of colours from this new No 7 range though - much improved on their last one methinks  xx

MyFace... No Really MyFace

I started noticing MyFace cosmetics around the place. There's a small selection of it in Hammersmith Boots and well because it was Hammersmith Boots I didn't think too much about it. But it did look inviting so I had a look on the good old tinternet and realised that far from this being another cheapy brand of fall apart products this was a new range devised by famous make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury in three basic colour ranges - fair, medium and dark. Each of these has a range of three shades within them 01, 02 and 03.

This does seem to be a bit of a tricky concept - I mean surely we can't all be slotted into one of these categories. Well actually I think we can. Or at least I can! I've been using their fair MyMix Foundation in Fair 02 for the past couple of weeks and not only do I love the way it is so incredibly easy to apply but I've had lots of comments on how great my skin looks. It's fantastic that someone as well known and established in the business has come up with a concept that is affordable and actually works.

I am now desperate to try their Vintage Pink Lipstick and wishing I hadn't vowed to my husband that I would be frugal for the whole of April. xx

Palm Island

The deed is done - we had a fantastic wedding and are now sunning ourselves and drinking rum cocktails on the lovely Palm Island in the Grenadines. I did manage to buy some Pink Lemonade Lipglass from Mac in the Airport and a set of two Jo Malone fragrances (Grapefruit and Lime Basil and Mandarin) on the plane so I'm not completely neglecting my duties!! xx

Hen Do

Have just had the second day back in the office after my absolutely fantastic hen do. Last Wednesday Miss D and I drove to Blakeney in Norfolk to prepare for the Friday arrival of my other hens. We both had office lurgy so we literally ate and napped for two days. It was fantastic. On Wednesday I thought I would spend the entire weekend thinking about work but by Thursday lunchtime I was so relaxed. I haven't had five days off work in ages.

Everyone arrived late on Friday - Miss F and I had managed to wake up long enough to put chicken and jacket potatoes in the oven! The next day we walked on Holkam beach (used in loads of films!) and went to The Jockey in Burnham Market to have a sweep stake on the Grand National. When I got back to the cottage the girls have set out a beauty bar with nail varnishes, face masks, foot soaks, toe separators, the works. Miss J had made a huge banner (which I've not got up on the wall in my flat). It was hysterical we all sat with our feet in bowls and face masks on, painting our toenails whilst eating smoked salmon nibbles and drinking pink prosecco.

We had champagne cocktails after getting changed for supper and I gave the girls their goodie bags I'd made. I'd got a bit carried away and everyone had a tailor made bag of grey cord with a lining to suit them. I've spent the last couple of weeks walking around with pin pricks all over my hands! I'd put fans, wild strawberry plants, lipgloss, small bottles of prosecco, and little red dog tags with their name on it. I felt so touched that everyone had taken a weekend out to come so I wanted to get them something.

Supper was fantastic my sister Miss J and Miss F had decorated the pub table everyone had place names and there were silver party poppers. It was so much fun. I had to play a Mr and Mrs quiz done by Miss M and I got presents for doing the right answer!! I haven't laughed so much in ages and the photos are ridiculous. When we got home we played hen do jenga. Miss F and Miss J had stuck labels on all the jenga pieces with names of drinking games, dares and silly things on. Was hilarious.

It was the perfect weekend - and I got given a photo album with loads of pictures of me and the girls in from over the years. Fantastic xx

Sicily and The Suspicions of Mr Whicher

Mr J and I have just returned from a fantastic week in Sicily. It did rain on and off for the first four days that we were there which was annoying but this did mean that we did a lot of sight seeing and the initially rather expensive hire car paid for itself with our tours of what seemed like the entire east coast.

The best bit was definitely arriving in our final destination, Taormina and our last hotel Hotel Villa Carlotta which is by far the most fantastic hotel I have ever been too. If you are wanting a romantic weekend away this would be a great choice with a lovely roof terrace restaurant, garden bar and beautiful rooms it wasn't exactly cheap but the situation was unbeatable too. Taormina is a beautiful town on a hill overlooking the sea (the hotel has a private beach). I did rather freak out when we left our restaurant on the second night to see Etna oozing lava in the distance but apparently it does that quite a lot.

As soon as we arrived at the Hotel Villa Carlotta I insisted on lying on my sun lounger in silence so that I could finish my book, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale. An investigation into the true and shocking Road Hill House Murder - one of the first murder investigations to involve detectives and and seen to invade into the lives and home of an upper class family. Using police notes and accounts of the time this is a genuine insight and assessment of a gruesome story that was never quite solved. I could not put this book down - the only bad thing about it was I struggled to find any book to follow it up with (thank god for John Irving). I really thought that it would be more miss than hit on the fact front and would be pretty inconclusive. But I was completely wrong. I really recommend this book it will appeal to everyone especially fans of non-fiction and crime. Endlessly compelling this book will keep your mind occupied for weeks after you've finished it xx

Lets Fly Away

Right two days to take off the hair is done, the waxing is imminent and I think I’ve finally cracked the product shopping. As usual I seem to have used this as an excuse to spend all my money on products… well they are necessities. But this time I did try and be practical and restrain myself a little. Which I managed… until a mopey morning found me spending £50 at Benefit (via the Boots website so it totally felt like ‘magic-not-there-internet-money’). I always leave the packing of my washbag til almost last so that everything has minimum time to leak and you don’t have to get anything out to use (I’m terrified of forgetting stuff it drives me mad). I’m not going to go through most of the essentials – toothbrush, toothpaste, nail files, hair ties, deodorant, Nivea soft, the usual face routine stuff. I’m taking my Clinique 15 Minute Turn Around Facial just to keep my skin in condition if necessary and I always try and take some foot cream. If you are lounging by the pool all day it’s the perfect time to give your feet some smoothing time off.

So what have I purchased? I think After Sun is really important – get stuck with the wrong one and you can be in severe discomfort. Boots were doing 2 for 1 so as I like to get two different factor sun creams so I thought I’d go for two different After Suns. In my mind if you mess about trying to fancy-up your After Sun when you really need it it’s just not as good as the pure basic one. So I thought I’d experiment. I’ve got Nivea Sun Tan Prolonging After Sun Lotion it contains Vitamin E which is known to be soothing but also contains a hint of self tan – will the self tan work or will it just detract from the soothing quality of the cream? Just in case it’s the latter I also thought I’d try Ambre Solaire’s Moisturising After Sun Spray which I think will do exactly what it says on the bottle. So as the other halve of my 2 for 1 I got two Ambre Solaire Clear Protect sun cream in SPF 10 and 20. I get so worried about getting a sunburnt face that I also snapped up a 2 for 1 Soltan Face Factor 15 which is £7.49 which is a little pricey for the handbag size bottle – but it is incredibly useful, you don’t want to be caught out and about in the sun with nothing to protect your face.

What couldn’t I resist from Benefit? I have the worst dark circles under my eyes – I carry It Stick in my make-up bag but in the mornings I swear by Boi-oing. I have been running out for ages but there’s no way I wanted to go on holiday with my full war paint to hand (maybe that’s just me…). It’s £15.50 but if you use it sensibly it last for ages and I mean ages. I also got suckered into buying more eye cream. I don’t know how many I’ve tried and they never work hugely well but I do trust Benefit and the packaging for Eyecon was just too enticing for a mopey Miss B to resist. Its £21.50 for quite a small pot which I have to say made me wince but Benefit believe that it “won’t break the bank” so it better work. It does feel great – if I could find my camera then I would do a before and after series of photos but you are just going to have to take my word for it… when it comes. My final purchase was a little extravagant maybe. Well by extravagant I mean I just can’t think of a way to pass it off as a necessity! But I just couldn’t stop myself – Gilded is a ‘tequila gold’ highlighting pencil its £12.50 and can be used on the eyes, check and brow bones and even over lipstick to add a bit of gold glamour. I can’t wait to try it (I’ve been saving it).

As an added extra Little Miss F returned from Paris with smelly cheeses and salami but also a fantastic Eyelighter by Cargo Cosmetics. One end has shimmery white powder to lighten the inner eye and the other end is matte to go at the outer corner to lift the eye. It will be perfect for nights on the town in Ibiza. I tried some of the inner eye sparkle this morning and it is great. The final extravagance was more Coco by Chanel – I cannot go anywhere without scent I find it comforting away from home. My travel shampoo of choice is Pantene Full & Thick Shampoo and Conditioner. The small bottles are perfect for a week away. I’m also trying out L’Oreal Expert Silver shampoo especially designed to keep white blonde from fading and going yellow. It’s purple so a bit scary to use first time but I’ve heard really good things about it and it came highly recommended by my hairdresser. It seems impossible to track down on the internet but I managed to get mine from Toni & Guy Essensuals in Hammersmith. I always make sure that I take some kind of mint (in this case Smints), wet wipes and Neurofen. I know it sounds like I’m going on a far more adventurous holiday than a week in Ibiza but to be honest I usually try and have those in my bag all the time. I’ve also packed a small pot of marmite… I crave it in the mornings when I have no way of having it.

So apart from the dreaded hair removal, finding my passport and camera and trying to get to the airport on time I think I’m about ready to go. At the moment I have more books packed than clothes and I can’t decide which shoes to take… I can see that no matter how prepared I am on the product side I’m not sure that I’m going to be able to manage the clothes packing until Friday afternoon. This would have been fine had we been flying out when Mr J told me we were. 9.00 on a Saturday morning… apparently I was supposed to know that in real speak that means 10.00 on Friday evening. I wish that I could keep you posted on the Ibiza fun but I will just have to update you on my return. xx