I've delayed and delayed and delayed this post as I've quite enjoyed taking a moment here and there to relive my holiday in September, and I knew that writing this post would be another such moment.
I was a seriously smug packer this year and managed to pack for an entire week in a teeny tiny suitcase which only included some basic clothes to get me through; the majority of my weight and space was taken up with products as is inevitable really, and will always be the case whenever I go away.
Skincare wise, I stuck religiously to my
Jan Marini products, so the only most used - other than my Kindle - that I thought I'd post about are sun care and pampering treats.
In the Sun
La Roche Posay Anthelios Smooth Lotion SPF30
This is a product for face and body that sinks in like a dream. I absolutely hate the greasy feeling you get from sun cream but I'm happy to report that this is easy to work into the skin (you don't need to spend ages rubbing it in) and once it's absorbed it's invisible to the touch. It's safe for the face too, but I can't comment as I was using the SPF in my JM routine. My mum also loved this and there was more than enough to cover both of us for our six day holiday.
La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water
In one sense this is a bit of a luxury, but this is also something I wouldn't go on holiday without as it is amazing as cooling you down in the heat. It's such a fine mist that it doesn't feel like you've sprayed yourself with water, instead you just feel like you've reduced your temperature and managed to cool yourself down quickly and effectively. It's something I used every time I started feeling too warm, which was a lot considering we had amazing weather (*sigh*) and again this was more than enough for both me and my mum for the entire holiday.
Optrex Actimist
The slightest bit of sun makes my eyes puff up like I've been repeatedly punched, so I tread really carefully on holiday. This is a spray designed for tired and uncomfortable eyes, but it worked really well at stopping my eye area feel tight (usually the first sign of the onset of the dreaded puffiness) and I would imagine this would last ages as you only need one spray for each eye. I used this a lot when I was away and I've barely made a dent.
In the Bath
It was sooo great to have access to a bath whilst I was away as I only have a shower at home, so I made full use of it with pampering treats.
Abees Nourishing Honey Shower Gel and
Honey Dead Sea Salt Body Scrub (not pictured)
I wasn't that blown away by either of these products when I first received them, but as I received two sample sizes of the shower gel I gave one to mum and she absolutely raved about it, so I thought I'd bring it with me on my holiday as it's dinky sized. The shower gel is lovely, if basically functional but the Body Scrub seriously came into its own when I used it dry on my feet before I lunged into the bath. It's fantastically smoothing and clings to skin just enough (a pet hate of mine is body scrubs that are difficult to actually scrub with and don't attach to the skin or melt away before you've had a chance to do anything...what's the point in that?!) so that you can work it around and buff away dead skin. This is comfortably one of my favourite scrubs now and it's essential to my pedicure routine.
Diptyque Mimosa Candle
Since I knew I'd have a bath at my disposal, I had to bring a candle with me and none felt more decadent and glamorous than a travel-friendly offering from Diptyque. Unfortunately, once I lit it I was scared that it would set off the fire alarm whilst I would be naked in the bath (thankfully it didn't happen) but once my paranoia subsided, I got to indulge in a bath full of Abees bubbles and the Mimosa aroma. Man I miss having a bath :(
Jamela 24K Gold Under Eye Masks
Since I couldn't mask up due to being on the JM routine, I had to have something that would indulge me and these under eye masks fit the bill perfectly. Yes you look like a bit of a numpty wearing them, but they're just so good at replacing lost moisture and keeping the area feeling hydrated and dewy - essential for me when I'm away due to my problem eyes as mentioned above. I brought 5 pairs with me on holiday and used them every night.
Body Shop Vanilla Body Mist
I like keeping my fragrance light when I'm away and there's something very summery about Vanilla. It was lovely to get out of the bath and cover myself in this gentle, sweet fragrance. I won't bang on about it as I've already reviewed it here.
Margaret Dabbs Intensive Treatment Foot Oil (not pictured)
This has quite the following and for good reason, as it's such a great, intensive treatment that's perfect for weather/sand beaten feet. It's a spray oil that you massage in; I did mine before bed every night and it kept my feet looking soft and supple.
INOA Colour Care Shampoo, Conditioner and Masque (not pictured)
I had to decant these three into travel friendly bottles (and what a painfully tedious experience that was) as they come in pretty large containers, but they are fantastic hair products that again I won't go into too much detail about as I'm about to review them shortly.
Just one post left on my holiday posts which will be a run down of the holiday itself....I might shed a tear.
Disclosure: Body Mist and candle paid for by me, the rest were PR samples or goody bag inclusions.
