Even with the recent showers in the UK, I'm in a summery mood lately - as you can probably tell from the spate of sun-loving posts lately. I actually quite enjoy the rain when it's warm and you can smell the earth and grass. I recently spoke about my summer wardrobe essentials, what skincare minis to take on holiday with you, and a bumper SPF edit, so today I thought I'd add to the growing collection with my travel beauty and makeup essentials.
A O N E - A N D - D O N E P A L E T T E
I'm just not going to be the person that brings two eyeshadow palettes, a selection of single blushes, contour, bronzer and all the world's highlighter, when I can condense everything into one, possibly two, compact palettes that include everything for me. I think for this holiday, it's going to be Charlotte Tilbury's Instant Look palette, which I picked up recently and am loving. The powders have such a lovely formulation, that blend beautifully on the skin, and the colours are pretty darn pigmented, especially the eye contour shade. Honestly though if you're less willing to fork out £50 on it, pick up the Rimmel sculpting palette. The highlight and bronze shades are surprisingly close and it's one of my all time favourite palettes, high end or otherwise. I also love Studio 10's Definer palette, which has beautiful cream shades - it's like a more affordable version of the Hourglass cream palette. I'll add a few other great palette options for you below too:
A S M A L L S E T O F G O O D B R U S H E S
Again, it's lovely to have my entire brush collection on hand when I'm at home, but I certainly don't want to cart that around with me! Rosie For Autograph has the perfect 4-piece set of soft brushes that I favour both when I'm at home or away. The powder brush is lovely and loose and fluffy, and my favourite way to apply bronzer.
A H A I R C O N D I T I O N E R
I don't know about you but my hair really needs extra tlc when I'm around sun and sea air. My two favourites are these really innovative hair sheet masks that leave your hair lovely and soft and shiny, and the O&M Know Knott, which smells like peachy, pear drops and doesn't overload my hair. I love to spritz it throughout the lengths and ends, wet or dry but especially when I get out of the shower. I have and love the large tubs of Macadamia's Deep Repair masque for home, and they have smaller tubes that are great for travel. It makes your hair smell utterly divine too.
A B R I G H T L I P
Tinted moisturiser + topknot + mascara + bright lip = the easiest summer look for exploring and relaxing in the evenings. I adore RFA's Laugh Out Loud (review) - a bright, vibrant red with pinkish-coral undertones, that's flattering on every skin tone. Charlotte Tilbury's Lost Cherry is another great one. I also love tangerine/tangelo lips if you've got a bit of a tan - you can have a look (and a laugh) at this post from a couple of years ago to see more. YSL's Rouge Volupte line has some really gorgeous colours like YSL Orange Tournon, and if you're on more of a budget then I'd try NYX or No7's BB lip in Geranium.
A N O F U S S M A S K
Sheet masks are my best friend when I'm away. No jars or bottles to carry, just use it once and throw it away. Or in the case of Charlotte Tilbury's dry mask, use it three times then throw it away. I was definitely unsure the first couple of times I used her dry sheet mask (review here), but I've since grown rather attached to them, so much so that I've repurchased. There's a lot to be said for a no-mess mask experience and it leaves my skin feeling and looking really glowy, several hours after use.
A G O O D S P F ! ( O R S E V E R A L )
If it's one item I don't mind taking several of, it's sunscreen. I've got SPF 50 in my base, aswell as sunscreen in the form of sticks, sprays, powders, gels - in fact have a look at my SPF Edit for more info and options. One thing that I really like the idea of is No7's Shimmering Lip & Eye Screen - a champagne tinted lip and eye stick with SPF 30, with the same oyster-like tones as Tom Ford's Shimmer Shot (although I would apply with fingers as I'm not sure how I feel about using a stick on both my lips and eyes). Here are some more sunscreen options for you:
A L I G H T / M A T T I F Y I N G M O I S T U R I S E R
My combo skin calls for a lightweight moisturiser that doesn't encourage too much glow, especially as I like to use cream products a fair amount. Bioderma's gel creme has a silicone-like slip and feels really light on the skin, mattifying it slightly. I must mention the packaging too, a tube with pump, that is the perfect combination for travelling.
A S O O T H I N G F A C I A L M I S T
If my skin needs hydration throughout the day, which is probable, then I'll turn to a facial spray. Something quite basic is actually what I prefer, like Trilogy's Hydrating Mist or MAC's Fix+, neither of which include rare or particularly special ingredients but give great hydration, and the Trilogy leaves my skin really dewy and moisturised.
A N O F F D U T Y B A S E
Assuming it's the kind of weather that is going to induce sweating no matter how hard you try to avoid it, then I want a light, low-maintenance base. The kind that you can just rub back into the skin when it starts to look a little patchy or worn. In all honesty, I'm going to talk about a favourite that I've had for many years, that never gets mentioned, and that's Olay's CC complexion corrector - the squat pump rather than the thinner packaging. This stuff is my preferred off duty base, over all of the high end products I've tried of a similar nature. It really makes my skin look and feel plump and youthful. I also love the Rosie For Autograph Complexion Enhancer too, it's fab for a low key face and comes in several more shades than the Olay.
A N E A S Y C L E A N S I N G R O U T I N E
I'll be the first to admit that my skincare routine starts to slip as soon as I'm on holiday. I ought to really pick up a mini of Omorovicza's cleansing balm as that's probably my favourite, but instead I adopt a sort of 'better than nothing' strategy of micellar minis and cleansing cloths, and Bobbi Brown's travel cleansing oil, which gets used if it's lucky. I've just picked up some new packets of Ole Henriksen's Clean Truth cleansing cloths, which include lots of lovely things like olive oil, grape, rose, vitamin C, algae and blackcurrant etc, but I also like Simple's Micellar cleansing cloths, for a more affordable alternative.
A S U M M E R S C E N T
There are certain scents that you associate with holiday, and I love to indulge in those when I go away. Tom Ford's Soleil Blanc, albeit on the pricier side, smells just like summer in a bottle, and I love the scent of Hawaiian Tropic's Silk Hydration. Actually, my guilty pleasure is A&F or Hollister body sprays which I think is more a kick of nostalgia.
A N E A S Y E Y E
Who has the time for crease, lid and inner corner colours when you've beaches to sit on, ruins to explore, and cafes to eat drawn out lunches at? Long wearing cream shadows in pot and stick form are my best friends whilst travelling, and that's if I bother doing eye makeup at all. I recently received a box of makeup c/o MAC (read more about that in this post) and had the pleasure to try their Rubenesque Paint Pot. It's got that golden-pink duochrome, quite similar to Tom Ford's Sphinx, that is gorgeous for summer. I've got a few other favourites for you below:
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