Beauty Buys | Summer Holiday Haul!

There's nothing like getting a holiday booked is there? Not only does it instantly make you feel much more chipper but it's enough to cause any sane woman to go crazy amongst the 'summer beauty' aisles of Boots.  Which is exactly what I did as soon as I knew. All of sudden, you realise just how much stuff you haven't got. And when you're a beauty blogger - let me tell you we ain't just talking the basics of sun cream and a tub of aftersun. Oh no. We're talking the right shades of concealer, the right lip colour, the right powder to keep our makeup in place on those warm, balmy evenings and the right combination of hair products to keep summertime frizz to a minimum (anyone else have the same issue as Monica from Friends as soon as they step off the plane? *for those of you who get this reference - gold star for you >*) Anyway, rambling aside, I thought it would be the perfect excuse to shove together a holiday-themed haul. If any of you are jetting away soon, it might give you a few ideas. If not - well, I hope you enjoy having a nosey at what's been thrown into my shopping basket of late anyway...

Mark Hill | Va Va Voom Mousse (travel size) 

Me and this mousse get on like a house on fire. Honestly, if you skip through the past 3 years of my blog you'll probably see it pop up a fair few times - I've never really used any other (true love right there). It's thick enough to make a difference with volume but its light enough not to weigh it down - it also never seems to turn my hair into straw.  I'm sure it's not the best mousse ever, but for me, it works and I always make a beeline straight for it whenever I need a new one.  It's hard to track down the travel sizes as they always seem to be sold out - so I actually grabbed two! One for my holiday and one for a trip to London next week. I cannot be without it.

Scwarzkopft | Got2B Beach Matt Texturising Salt Spray

This was actually on offer and I got it for less than £2! To be honest, Im not sure if I'll be able to take it away with me as I'm usually bang on my weight limit (typical over-packer) - I could probably do with a smaller size but either way, I really wanted to try a salt spray again.  I used a Tony & Guy one last year and i found it came in so handy over the summer months - I can't wait to see what this one is like as I've always got on well with Got2B products! Bargain!

Garnier | Ambre Solaire Tan Maintainer

If you buy one thing this summer - make it this! I've been recommending this product on my blog for about 3 years now - I go through countless tubes of the stuff every year and I'm yet to find anything quite as good (If you don't like the hint of fake tan element then I'd recommend Lancaster Tan Maximiser - my other must-have!).  People always ask how I maintain my tan after a holiday and it definitely has something to do with this. If you want to find out why I love it so much I speak about it in a favourites post here. I also give it a mention in my 'tan maintaining tips' post here.  It's around £8 in Boots but I found it on offer in Tesco for 2 for £8 - so shop around!

Soap & Glory | Flake Away (travel size)

I always exfoliate before I go away so that my natural tan will last longer. I bought my favourite Soap & Glory scrub in miniature form to pop in my suitcase. I usually use it as soon as I get there just to give myself maximum tanning possibilities (is that sad? ahaha)  If you've never tried this scrub you honestly don't know what you're missing.  It makes the chore of exfoliating seem a breeze! And a very sweet smelling one at that!

The Balm | 'Bahama Mama' Bronzer

Now then.  You can only imagine my disappointment when I realised my beloved Nars 'Laguna' is almost completely gone right before I go away on holiday.  Sods law, isn't it? The thought of purchasing another made me wince a little - so, in true blogger style, I took this as my chance to try something new.  I spent ages looking online and settled on this one from 'The Balm' - I've always quite fancied trying some of their stuff and the packging really caught my eye. As well as being rather eye-catching, it's also really neat and compact and fits perfectly in the palm of my hand - something I always try and look for when I'm taking products on holiday with me as I aim to cram in as much as physically possible. It's actually slightly darker than Nars Laguna - which to be honest is perfect for me as I really do tan quite a bit on holiday! I'm planning on doing a full post on this soon along with a Nars comparison so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Bourjois | Bronzing BB Cream

I wanted to try this ever since I used Bourjois' Bronzing Primer last year (review of that here). When I'm on holiday I usually don't wear a scrap of makeup in the day as I find it so uncomfortable, but I thought this might be quite nice if I go on a day-trip somewhere and want to give my skin some coverage without completely masking it.  I'm not opening it until I'm there so I shall let you know my thoughts as soon as I'm home but I'm predicting that it might just become a summer staple... We shall see!

Urban Decay | 'De Slick' Makeup Setting Spray (travel size)

I've wanted to try one of these sprays for aaaages now! I finally caved and bought the travel size - perfect for popping in your suitcase. This one is said to help combat shine, absorb oil, keep your skin looking matte and your makeup in place all night.  When I'm abroad I always struggle to keep my makeup looking flawless in the evenings and I don't even have oily skin! I've been road testing this the past few days and I have to say I've noticed such a difference.  I went to powder my face half-way through the day and realised I actually didn't need to - which is saying something to say how muggy it's been just recently! I shall be doing a full review of this when i'm home - i already have high hopes for it.

Estee Lauder | Double Wear Concealer

OK. So I didn't actually buy this for the sake of my holiday but it's my holy grail concealer and I simply cannot live without it.  It covers blemishes, dark circles and pigmentation with ease and it lasts all day without fail. Even if you do top up through the day its so creamy that it never goes cakey - I adore it.

Elf | Complete Coverage Concealer Palette

I just realised I didn't photograph this separately but you can spy it in the collective image at the top.  This is a re-purchase for me and for less than a fiver, this kit really is the bees knees. What I love about it is the fact it has 4 different shades - there's 2 shades with peachy undertones (perfect for under eye circles which is my main area of concern) and 2 which lean more yellow which work for general sprucing up and blemishes.  I actually ran this palette down to the pan last time I bought one so it just goes to show how much I love it. It doesn't last all day but it's perfect for a quick fix and the colours are very creamy and very well pigmented. Because my skin is going to get darker in the sun, it's handy to have the slightly darker shades in there as well. I have a post on it here so you can see the colours in more detail. 

Mac | Lip Pencil in 'Spice'

After my beloved Estee Lauder Lip Pencil in 'Spice' ran out - I set out on a mission to find something similar.  I stumbled upon this Mac pencil with the same name and it was love at first swatch.  This is incredibly long lasting and is the perfect browny-nude - very 90s chic so it isn't for everyone but I find it works really well with my skintone.  I find it a fabulous, long lasting alternative to lipstick and it's much more versatile.  When I go away, I always pack far too many lipsticks so I'm thinking of picking up a few more of these as they're much more makeup bag friendly.  If you're not a fan of the finish then gloss on the top looks a-ma-zing! (for the record... Benefit's 'Hoola' lipgloss looks stunning with this - together they've become my new dream team!)

Barry M | Eye Liner in 'Kingfisher'

What is this?! COLOUR?! On the eyes?!?! Was I feeling alright?! I never wear colour on my eyes so to say this is pushing it for me is an understatement. Blame Pinterest. I saw someone use a colour like this on their bottom lash line and I instantly wanted to give it a go. Personally, I think with a tan and a smudge of peachy-gold eyeshadow on the upper lid I might be able to pull it off. If i don't, it was only £3 anyway but it's such a beautiful colour - just look at it, looook atttt ittttt...

So there we have it.  My latest beauty buys. It's fair to say I feel as if I need a break away this year - 11 nights of relaxation and time to ponder over the next chapter of my life whilst digging my toes into the sand in Crete seems like just the ticket right now. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know I live for holidays and trips away so I really do love this time of year! I'm also planning on grabbing a late deal on a few days away in Marbella with my best friend but I'm not sure my savings account can take it... Who knows though, I might just have a 'YOLO' moment ;) We haven't been away together since we were 19 (I'm now almost 24) so some quality best-friend time in the sun is waaaay overdue!

What are you holiday 'must haves'? Have you tried any of these products before or is there any that you'd like to hear more about? Let me know!