TOP 10: BEACH ESSENTIALS

As I'm going on holiday to Marbella in a few days I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to blog about my top beach essentials. I've bought a HUGE beach bag this year (link!) as I like to overpack and be prepared for every occasion. However I have managed to narrow down my top 10 favourite items that I would recommend to anyone going on a beach holiday! Here they are...

1. Beauty Bay Lighted Mirror (link)

A portable mirror is a must for me. Even if I'm going to look like a sweaty hot mess I want to know to know about it. This is a great buy at £5 and has a magnified side as well as a normal side. Okay, so the lights aren't essential for the beach, but as a portable makeup mirror, this is a great option. You can just throw it in your clutch on a night out and reapply your lipgloss where ever, even in the back seat of a taxi! 

2. The Body Shop Hand Sanitiser (link)

This is a great option from The Body Shop! It comes in lots of gorgeous scents, such as this one (my personal favourite) the coconut variety. 

3. Garnier Ambre Solaire SPF 30 Dry Mist Sun Screen (link)

I always apply my SPF 30 Piz Buin Once-A-Day suncream in the mornings on holiday, but whatever the manufacturer's claims, you should reapply sunscreen throughout the day. I like the Garnie Ambre Solaire SPF 30 Dry Mist. Its so easy to apply and especially useful for the beach as you don't have to wait around for it to dry or worry about sand getting stuck to you!

4. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (link)

A concealer is one of the only items of makeup I wear on a day-to-day basis on holiday- especially when I'm sunbathing. I don't mind going bare-faced but I like to cover my pesky eye bags (although sunglasses are also helpful for this!). 

5. Nars Mutiple in South Beach (link)

A gorgeous bronze coloured cream stick product. This Multiple is perfect to swipe on your cheeks, nose and forehead (anywhere that the sun would catch naturally!) for a gorgeous, healthy glow. You can also use it on your lips and eyes too, a clear winner for me.

6. Clarins Aftersun Moisturiser Self Tanning (link)

Okay so I not it's not technically a beach product but I love it for holidays! This aftersun is so soothing and creaming- and makes your skin feel so soft! It also contains a tiny amount of fake tan which really enhances your natural glow and speeds things up a bit. A must have.

7. La Roche-Posay ANTHELIOS STICK SPF50+ 9g (link)

I love the La Roche-Posay SPF50 stick for reapplying to areas I'm more likely to burn. The high SPF is great to use it on my nose, hair-parting and on my feet! 

8. La Roche-Posay ANTHELIOS FACE COMFORT CREAM SPF50+ 50ml (link)

A high SPF is essential for you face. So you might want a tanned visage but you'll be left with pigmentation marks and wrinkles when you're older. I use this every day on holiday and use a face self tan in the evenings to ensure my face matches with my body.

9. Mini Deodorant (link)

This is my favourite deodorant but in miniature form. Beaches get HOT, need I say more?

10. No7 Anti-Ageing Shimmering Lip & Eye Screen SPF 30 (link)

This is a gorgeous product from No7. Its an SPF lip balm with a subtle shimmer, thus eliminating the need for lipgloss or lipstick on the beach (no more hair-lipgloss moments!). It's SPF 30 so will protect your lips whilst nourishing them. 

I hope you enjoyed reading what I'm going to be taking to the beach this year! What are your beach essentials?

Recent Purchases...

I haven't actually been out shopping for what seems like forever, so I was having serious shopping withdrawal symptoms! I had a maths exam yesterday, so, as my next exam is in a week, my cousin and I went shopping in the afternoon (after all, I didn't feel like doing more revision straight after my exam!). I only bought a few things but I thought I'd share them with you. If you'd like any reviews of anything you see here then let me know :) 

A few points on what I bought:

1. Essie Fiji is possibly my favourtie nail polish ever! I love the colour- white with a hint of pink- and the brush is really wide so it applies so easily. This one is from the new diffusion line in Boots :)

2. I now have both colours of the No 7 Nourishing Lip Shine so may do a post on them soon, I've heard they are a good dupe for the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors and they are a third of the price (if you use a No 7 £5 off voucher!)

3. I'd heard a lot about the First Aid Beauty Body Moisturiser and it's lovely! It's not greasy, absorbs quickly and doesn't smell of anything (which I prefer!). The best part is it contains no parabens or harsh chemical so is good for my sensitive skin. I want to try out more from the range!

I'm going to be posting lots more outfits soon and an everyday make up post, so look out for them in a week or two! I still have one exam left but after that I'll be posting regularly again!

xxx

First Aid Beauty Body Moisturiser- Boots | Essie Nail Polishes in Lilacism, Fiji (on my nails) and Mint Candy Apple | Spike Bracelet- Topshop | Rose Gold Necklace- H&M | Ring- River Island |No 7 Nourishing Lip Shine- Boots

Skin Care Haul

I thought I'd share some recent skincare additions I've bought over the past month, some are new and some I've re-purchased again and again- that's just how much I love them!

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

I've been using this for ages! I started incorporating this into my skincare regime long before I knew about blogging and long before I knew about the hype that surrounded it. It was my mum who actually introduced this to me a few years ago as I was having problems with my skin and I've been using it ever since! I have tried some products in between using this but nothing is as good, my skin feels softer and clearer after using this, I love it.

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

I've been using this once a week for a month now and I love this! It's a thick cream you put on your face before bed and when you wake up just wash it (or cleanse it) away and your skin feels so smooth and soft. I suffer from patches of extremely dry and sensitive skin on my face and this really helps it to recover.

Origins Vitazing

I received a sample of this moisturiser when I used my face mask and now can't live without it! It's a bit pricey at £26 but it really makes makes my skin glow before make up! It has a releases a sheer tint as you rub it in but this has no coverage, you would still need to wear foundation or tinted moisturiser over the top. This is a lovely product!

Johnson's Gentle Eye make-up Remover Pads

These remove eye make up and mascara like a dream. It claims they also remove water proof mascara as well although I haven't tried this. They are surprisingly moisurising and non greasy. 

Nivea Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes

I've not tried these so I don't know how good they are but I hope they are alright for my skin! I only use face wipes when I come in from nights out so fingers crossed they work nicely :) 

What skin care products are you loving? What have you bought recently?

Skin Care Part I

I thought I'd share my favourite skin care products with you all as I'm always fascinated by what products people use! I've divided it into two parts, the first includes my make up removers, exfoliator and face mask, whilst the second part will focus on moisturisers etc! Just to let you know, my skin is normal to dry with the occasional break out, these are the products that work best for me, but they might not for you.

From left to right:

Soap and Glory 'The Fab Pore 15 Minute Facial Peel'

I'm not sure why this is called a peel as it has the consistency of a clay mask and doesn't 'peel off' but nonetheless this is a lovely mask. It smells fresh and minty and is a dream to apply with its thick texture. It has some pretty nifty ingredients and I think it really works! I don't have oily skin which I believe is the skin type this mask is marketed towards but I love how effective it is on outbreaks of spots. I use this once a week and my skin always feels brighter and softer after using this product. 

Botanics 'Organic Rosewater Toner'

This is my all time favourite toner. I've been using this for a long time now and keep repurchasing it. When I noticed the Botanics range was 3 for 2 in Boots I bought 3 of these last week saving myself a lovely £4.07. I love this smell of the toner, its a very strong rosewater scent (as the name suggests!) but not overpowering. I've tried other rosewater toners and none of them smell as lovely as this one. It soothes my dry skin and doesn't make my face feel tight after using it, all in all a great product!

Soap and Glory 'The Greatest Scrub of All'

This scrub is excellent because the exfoliation particles are so tiny! When you squeeze a little out of the tube you can't even see the grains which makes this exfoliator especially good as its very non abrasive. One thing I can't stand is a scrub that scratches and hurts to use, they defiantly aren't good for your skin as you only want to remove the very top layer of dead skin cells. It makes my skin feel lovely and soft.

Liz Earle 'Cleanse & Polish'

This is my favourite cleanser of all time! Its thick texture glides on and removes my make up effortlessly. My skin feels unbelievable soft and bright after using this and its very soothing. I use this with the muslin cloth it comes with and I think this is key to achieving the best results when you use this. The cleanser is extremely gentle and moisturising and above all it clears my skin up every time I have a break out! It's an amazing product and I cannot recommend it enough.

L'Oreal 'Dermo-Expertise Gentle Eye Make Up Remover'

This is a firm favourite because it doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes. I don't find it to be too oily and it removes my eye make up easily (however it didn't work so well on my water proof mascara, as I only wear this on holiday I'm not too bothered). It leaves my eyes feeling refreshed and its not very expensive at all! Very good all round.

I hope you like this post, 'Part II' to follow shortly!