A Holiday Beauty Wardrobe

There was a time when the only holiday wardrobe I was concerned about was the one that had actual clothes in. I am after all the girl who took 9 pairs of shoes for 7 days in New York: you could say packing light doesn’t come easily to me. My motto used to be ‘just in case’… I may not have worn those sparkly silver platforms for 2 years in the UK, but who knows if they’d be required for some weird disco/70s hybrid occasion in The States?

(They weren’t)

But now I’m a lot more chill about the whole thing. I’ve admitted that I generally only wear 30% of the clothes I pack when I’m going away, so agree that it makes sense to pack 70% less. And in times of spillages/holes/a nuclear emergency, I can simply send my outfits to the cleaner or buy new ones. Easy.

These days, it’s the beauty wardrobe I’m more concerned about. The sunshine on your summer hols is no joke, and I’d like to take as many precautions against skin cancer as I can (hello, lovely Factor 50) and return with skin that looks like skin, not leather. And I’d rather spend time running around with the kids rather than worrying about my tan, which is why I’ll be faking it before we leave – way easier than spending hours laying out on a sun lounger.

Now, as mentioned, my luggage allowance for this trip is a teeny 20kg, which includes some of the kids’ bits, too. Which is why I’ve spent the last six weeks hunting down my favourites in mini or sample sizes, allowing me to not deviate from my familiar face routines where possible on holiday (heavens! Just imagine ;).

And so I give you, my ultimate holiday beauty wardrobe:

Hair

Shampoo and Conditioner by Bramley, a really beautiful natural beauty range offered at some of my favourite hotels, including The Pig. That’s where I’ve pinched these from, knowing I’d make good use of the smaller sizes come the summer. You can buy their travel-sized products online.
Styling will be courtesy of MoroccanOil’s Hydration cream; I’d love to bring a full-size MoroccanOil with me but as it’s glass and oil I worry about not just the weight but the possibility of spillages, so this will have to do. I’ll give my hair any extra hydration from the Body Shop’s solid Argan Oil and will encourage the beachy curls with Bumble and Bumble’s Surf Spray.

Skin

When Cleansing, the name of the game for the holiday is going to be gentle effectiveness. I need something that’ll get rid of my SPF but won’t suck the moisture from my skin, which is why I’ve chosen MV Organics Gentle Cleanse Creme. I’m packing a mini Pixi Glow Tonic (though will probably only use in the evenings) as well as a mini of Caudalie’s Vinoperfect serum – in my opinion, one of the best serums you can buy for the price.

I’m going to be wearing Factor 50 but will want to come home with a little glow, so I’ll be mixing Clarins’s Golden Glow Booster with my favourite REN Vita Mineral Daily Supplement moisturiser. I’ve got an Emma Hardie Brilliance Oil for daytime use and the slightly heavier Clarins Blue Orchid Oil for night (this is gorgeous). My eye cream is also from Clarins, with their miracle Super Restorative Eye Concentrate, and I’ll also pack their old-school Beauty Flash Balm for a bit of extra radiance when I’m not wearing any make-up. For when it get super hot I’ve got Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir spray, which refreshes like absolutely nothing else while tightening pores and giving a real boost.

Body-wise I’m taking Elemis’s Japanese Camelia Body Oil for an all-over hydrating treat.

Make-Up

I’m still completely in love with Dr Perricone’s No Foundation Foundation (you can find my review here); the coverage is sheer yet buildable, you needn’t worry about it suiting your skin colour changes when on holiday, and it works with your skin to moisturise as you’re wearing it. The old favourite Clinique All About Eyes concealer will be coming too, along with Clinique’s super easy Happy Cheeks blusher and a Chubby Stick or two.

I’m bringing a couple of Boutique By Sainsburys products: the smokey eye palette (see a tutorial of it featuring me here), a bright red gloss and a more neutral one for daytime. My most-worn eyeshadow is Urban Decay’s Baked, which looks great with a tan, so it’s coming in my suitcase. I’m lucky enough to have a Benefit ‘They’re Real’ mini too, so that’s my holiday mascara sorted.

Nails will be Essie’s Happy Wife, Happy Life – the perfect bright red – and of course I’ll have a Carmex lip balm to soothe in the evenings.

All this for just over 2kg? This has never happened before!

Have I missed anything?