Hand Luggage Essentials

Hand luggage tends to be the last thing that I pack but having the stuff that makes travelling a more relaxing experience, is worthwhile thinking about. So here a few tips to get you organised.

Select the right bag:
My criteria tends to be: big, comfortable to hold, have at least one compartment and a summery colour. It is usually something that I will want to use on holiday, either as day bag or beach bag.

Anti Viral/Anti Bacterial:
Boots do a really good one and you can buy this in the terminal. I do not want to catch a horrible cold or worse, vomming on holiday, so this is a must for me.

Lip Balm:
Carmex is my go to.

Skincare:
I buy travel bottles, label them up and make sure that I have all my favourites with me on the plane. Giving yourself a little spritz of toner on the plane is refreshing and good for the skin. However, on occasion, I have accidentally sprayed the nice passenger next me! Ooops, sorry... however really they should be thanking me as their skin will look great! If you want more tips on keeping skin looking it's best while travelling you can read Jen's long-haul flight skincare routine here.

Face wipes:
I typically hate make up wipes but long flights are the exception to the rule. If you really must use them Ole Henriksen is your go to brand. They aren't harsh or filled with grotty, drying properties.

Hand cream:
Decant some before you leave or buy in the airport, especially if you a bit OCD with the anti viral.

Water:
Buy two big bottles and ensure that you hydrate throughout the flight (the champagne doesn't count!)

Magazines/New Book
Pick carefully. Do some research so that you are looking forward to reading that new release that book bloggers have been recommending. It will make the flight go a little quicker. When it comes to magazines, I'm a little odd about which one I pick. I find that the ones that plaster their pages with 'Being single after the age of 35' or how everyone should have a 'Bikini Ready Body' make me roll my eyes!

Eye mask/pillow/favourite fluffy to help you to snooze:
I bring my stuffed monkey....why would I not?

Valuables:
Take them with you in your hand luggage, don't pack anything into your suitcase that could cause serious problems if your luggage goes missing. 

Snacks:
My boyfriend will tell me that he wont be hungry on the plane. Oh how funny he is! He will be and will try to eat my dinner as well as his own. I go to W.H Smiths and stock up on healthy snacks that wont cause a huge sugar crash. Things like dark chocolate covered corn cakes, dried fruit (although sugary, it's better than a box of Dairy Milk!) and Naked Bars will keep people going in between plane food.

What are your hand-luggage essentials? We would love to know!

Summer Suitcase Must Haves

Following on from my last post – What's in my Suitcase & Packing Tips – I thought I would share a few of the must-have holiday products that I purchase before I travel. From skin care and hair care to bikinis and the comfiest sandals, these are the essentials that always make it into my suitcase!

Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil 100ml £21.50
This protects your hair and hair colour from UVA/UVB damage and can be used as heat protector when styling. Vitamin E and sunflower seed oil protect against free radicals and the shea butter helps to detangle. It also smells like summer!

Moroccanoil Frizz Control 100ml for 19.45
Nobody wants to look like Monica from Friends when she goes on holiday. (Remember The One in Barbados?!) This eliminates the frizz caused by humidity and controls static. It also has weather resistant properties and will keep hair manageable as you move from humid heat to equally damaging air con.

Swimwear that makes you feel confident
You can read more about why Victoria's Secret swimwear is top of my list here.

Comfortable Sandals
UGG/ Sketchers are ideal, basically anything with padding if you are going to be doing a lot of walking.

Travel size samples
Save up the mini-versions of your favourite skincare over the year and off you go!

Suncream
Organic Green People's Scent Free Sun Lotion is suitable for all skin types, has UVA and UVB protection, is water repellent, really moisturising and rich in natural antioxidants, such as avocado, chamomile and green tea, which protects the skin whilst in the sun. It doesn't contain any parabens, alcohol, lanolin – all the ingredients we like to avoid where possible, an as added Bonus, Green People will donate 30p from your purchase to the Marine Conservation Society.
200ml, £18.95 from www.greenpeople.co.uk

If you're like me and want to get holiday bits sorted ASAP, www.feelunique.com has a range of beauty and skincare products, including those mentioned above. UGG has a sale on at the moment, so if you are in the market for a new pair of sandals, that's worth a look too. www.ugg.co.uk

What's in my suitcase? Packing tips!

Going on holiday is very exciting and there is nothing better than leaving the stresses and strains of life behind and jetting off. However, although I think that the holiday feeling starts with holiday preparation, packing can be quite overwhelming and time consuming. So here are a few tips to help you stay organised.

1. I used to lay out my items before packing them, checking that I had the right pieces but now I layer my clothes whilst in the suitcase. 

I put my shoes on the bottom and I place clothing items that work together on top of each other (unlike the trip back home, where I roll my clothes to make the most of space). This saves ironing when I get to the destination and I can immediately see which pieces can be worn together. In the picture above I have two maxi dresses that will both go with my white cardigan. Therefore, they are put on top of one another and when I unpack, I can quickly put outfits away.

2. If you can double up, you should. For example, pack neutral layers that will go with a range of outfits. I am fairly strict with myself. For example in the photo below, I have removed a lime green striped cardigan. Yes, it's lovely but it only goes with one outfit, so not very useful. 

3. I tend to lay out my choice of shorts/skirts etc., making sure I am not repeating the same styles or colours. 

4. Next, I place the tops that will go with most of the shorts/skirts/trousers on top. As I do so, I check that each item can be paired with three or four other things.

5. A very important tip when packing: leave room! Only half fill your case if you think that you will be bringing home a case full of souvenirs. After all, on the way home, you can roll clothes, putting them into shoes to maximise space.

And that's it! What are your packing tips? Has anyone mastered the art of travelling light?!

Long-haul Flight Skincare Routine

As you may have noticed, I have been a little quiet on the blog front lately, having taken a much needed getaway to Florida for some fun and sunshine. A big thank you to Kay for holding down the fort and reviewing some great products in my absence. I definitely want to get my hands on that Benefit Majorette blush!

Now normally I don’t give my skin too much thought on aeroplanes and then I wonder why I land looking red-eyed, dehydrated and generally in need of some TLC. So this time I did my research and put together a selection of products to protect my skin from the nasty re-circulated air.

The result? For the first time ever, I got off the plane with skin that looked considerably better than when I boarded! My husband was giving me some strange looks as I made him touch my face, saying “seriously, I’m not being funny but look how great my skin is!” He might have thought I was crazy but ladies, I know you'll understand my excitement, so here is my new routine:

OLE HENRIKSON 'THE TRUTH TO GO' WIPES

I don’t wear makeup to get on a flight (well maybe I whack on a bit of concealer and fill in my brows but that doesn’t count right?!) but I still start by giving my face a quick cleanse. I know face wipes are generally a massive no-no but these ones are great. They are gentle on your skin and infused with brightening Vitamin C and firming micro algae. They have a delicious vanilla-orangey smell too! 
Currently £25 for 100 on lookfantastic.com, (half price) 
Note: I believe they have now been re-branded as The Clean Truth Cleansing Cloths.

CLINIQUE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT MOISTURISER

I then give my skin a quick moisturise using my old faithful Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, which you can read a bit more about in my July Skincare Routine here.

£17 for 50ml, www.clinique.co.uk

CAUDALIE BEAUTY ELIXIR

Next up is a spray of Beauty Elixir. This product is a bit of a cult classic with an impressive following but one that I hadn’t tried before. It was inspired by the centuries old ‘elixir of youth’ used by Queen Isabelle of Hungry and a quick spritz adds an instant burst of radiance to your complexion. I wasn’t sure if it would live up to the hype, but the 30ml was perfect size for a flight so I thought I’d give it a go. My verdict? I love it! The scent doesn’t really do it for me but it is refreshing and it certainly perks up my complexion. Very happy with this one! I also used it regularly after a tiring day on holiday before putting on makeup for the evening and it definitely rejuvenated the ol' face.
Currently £9.50 for 30ml from www.feelunique.com 
Note: Usual RRP approx. £11.50

ESTEE LAUDER RESILIENCE LIFT FIRMING/SCULPTING EYE CREAM

This is a long name for a little product! It’s a nice, hydrating, quickly absorbed eye cream, but as always I haven’t seen any spectacular differences. I have only been using it for a couple of weeks though, and while I was on holiday I was sporadic in my application of eye cream to say the least, so the jury is out until I’ve given it a fair trial. It did the trick nicely on the plane however and kept the skin around my eyes well moisturised.

£46 for 15ml, www.esteelauder.co.uk

ORIGINS DRINK UP INTENSIVE OVERNIGHT MASK

Next I slap on a layer of this mask. When I purchased it in Selfridges, I asked if they had any samples and they gave me a small travel size to take on the plane. (Always ask for samples when you're making a purchase ladies, they'll happily hand them over and the small sizes are perfect for travel.) It’s a clear mask which is exactly why it’s ideal for a flight (you’re going to get some funny looks if you slather on something white or green). It’s pretty thick but exactly how quickly it absorbs depends how much you put on. Don’t be afraid to apply a generous amount on a flight though, it really does prevent your skin from drying out! A little goes a long way and you would normally only use this a couple of times a week, so the full size tube will last a long time.

£23 for 100ml at www.selfridges.com

COCOA BUTTER VASELINE

It might be an idea to use something a bit more hydrating on a plane, but as I was just trying to protect from dehydration I felt Vaseline was enough, so I packed my favourite cocoa butter. As we all know, Vaseline's useful for everything from moisturising cuticles and removing makeup smudges, to taming brows and highlighting cheek bones, so it's a useful multi-tasker to have in your hand luggage.

£2.18 for 20g, www.boots.com

EOS HAND LOTION

This came in a bargain of a Selfridges Beauty Box I purchased a while back (£120 worth of products for £30? Yes please!) and was a nice size to pop in my hand luggage. It absorbs quickly, has a 96% natural formula and is hypoallergenic and paraben-free. The packaging isn’t very glamorous but it has a nice scent and it does the job so no complaints here. It's now on my desk and I enjoy slapping it on throughout the day.
£8 from www.topshop.com, although I’m pretty sure you can get it for as little as $1.99 in the US!

And that's about it! I topped up the Beauty Elixir, Eye Cream, Mask and Lip Balm mid-flight, used another face wipe before landing, moisturised and put on a bit of concealer and I was good to go. Like I said, my skin was better when I arrived in Orlando than when I left England! It might seem like a long list of products but it really isn’t, they only take a matter of minutes to apply and the results were really worth it. The Origins mask and Caudalie Beauty Eixir kept my skin looking good all holiday and are now firm favourites.

There is one other secret to looking good when you get off the plane. Don’t touch the plane food! I took all my own healthy snacks and it was the best long haul flight decision I’ve ever made, I can't tell you how much better I felt for avoiding all the nasty pre-packaged processed food. Lastly, remember to hydrate your skin from within and drink plenty of water. If you end up being that annoying person that has to go to the bathroom 10 times then so be it... And on that delightful note I'll wrap things up! But if you have any of your own recommendations for in-flight skincare then please do let us know, we'd love to hear them.