Holiday Essentials - Haircare

Here's my 2nd installment of my fave Holiday Essentials, read the first one here. 

Now this is when I get into my element when buying stuff for my holiday! I adore doing holiday hair, it's deffo my thing! Now again I prefer to get the Mini's but I do admit that if I'm going for a week or more I will get full sized versions of my shampoo and conditioners. But here are some of my fave minis.

 

First up my shampoo and conditioner. I love a bit of Aussie, the smell is amazing and it leaves my hair in really lovely condition. Aussie Miracle Moist is the best for my hair after years of colouring and heat that it infuses moisture back into my hair. 

If you're in a really hot place like Egypt, Turkey or Tunisia, I recommend also taking a good deep conditioner. As you know I love Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle. It's great to use just once or twice because not only the sun but if you're keen on a dip in the pool then it's essential that you give your hair a deep condition otherwise it will be straw-ey and unmanageable.  

Then we move onto heat protection. I use this little TRESemmé Heat Protection Spray. I always use heat defence and especially on holiday because I know I'll end up using heat on my hair more than I do at home and it's always really important to protect your hair from heat. 

What use is an amazing holiday up do if it's not held into place. This is where the Silvikrin Classic Hairspray comes in. It's not sticky but it holds which in hot and humid weather is exactly what you need. It also has a barrier against UV which is what you need if you're using it to keep your do from day to night. 

And for when your hair needs a little freshen, who doesn't step to Batiste Dry Shampoo. I love the Blush version because it's lovely. I'm not a massive fan of dry shampoo in general but if I do need a freshen up then this is the only brand I would turn to. 

And finally, the one staple I cannot go on holiday without otherwise it would be a total disaster! Clips/BobbyPins/Kirby Grips, whatever they get called haha. I literally buy a pack of 200 from the poundshop.

I bought all of these (except the clips) in ASDA and they were £1.20 or 4 for £3. I will be back later on this week with my last Holiday Essentials post.

Thanks for reading and for more of the latest news and reviews from the Beauty Hot Squad please follow us on Blog Lovin' 

Holiday Essentials - Skincare

Hi Everyone, I love holiday season. Even though I very rarely go on an actual holiday in holiday season but it's the time that I get to go and get all my bits and pieces for my holiday I take in late September. One thing I love the most is the little holiday essentials you can get in miniature bottles. Not only are they a space saver they are also just the right size to take in your hand luggage leaving valuable space available for some amazing holiday ensembles! 

Whenever I go away I always buy 3 main skincare essentials. Simple Moisturising Face Wash, Simple Hydrating Moisturiser and Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes.

All three are in the Kind to Skin range which is what I really need to use in the summer and on holiday because my skin is always at it's worse when it's hot and clammy, it's not nice. This whole range makes my skin feel fresh and clean. 

The Moisturising Face Wash has an active ingredient of Bisabolol which is known to soothe and calm redness and blemishes. It also includes Vitamin E which is great for restoring the natural glow in your skin. 

Now I always make sure I'm carrying around the Cleansing Facial Wipes and also have this when I come home from a night on my hols and I've decided to make myself up a little bit. These are great for removing stubborn make-up but they are gentle on your skin. They don't dry out your face like some wipes can and they're oil-free so no greasy skin either! 

Last up is the Hydrating Moisturiser, this is a light formuation that it's not oily or greasy like most can be. I tend to use this everywhere. If I get burnt I'll usually use some aftersun but then keep applying this because my skin with sunburn just dries out scarily quickly. There are no harsh chemicals in this, so like the other 2 products this is gentle and caring even to those with sensitive skin. 

I bought all three of these in ASDA and they were £1.20 or 3 for £3. I will be back later on this week with another Holiday Essentials post.

Thanks for reading and for more of the latest news and reviews from the Beauty Hot Squad please follow us on Blog Lovin' 

Vita Liberata - The Tan Dreams are Made of!

I truly am the fairest of them all. A pale Janet. I am asked by people when I leave the house without make up on if I am ill. Normally I can laugh about this but sometimes I get bored of being pale and I fancy brightening things up a bit. As an end of degree celebration me and my friends signed up for a Brazil theme bar crawl and I decided I was going to become Alessandra Ambrosio (a little ambitious I know…) The point being that I wanted to be bronzed, glowing and naturally healthy looking! 

I slathered on my Vita Liberata Rich Face Tinted Self Tan Lotion twice a day for 3 days beforehand as well as my beloved Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 weeks tanning mousse. Both of these products changed the way I felt about fake tan, no more streaks, no more going to bed with it on and hoping I don’t wake up resembling a wotsit and best of all no more biscuity smell! These truly are the cream of the crop and they are worth every single penny. You can see the results below (sorry about the before picture… it was Where’s Wally themed!)

You can buy Vita Liberata from http://www.vitaliberata.co.uk/ and Boots. 

Skincare by Sampar

I’m always on the lookout for new skincare (I have bags of half used products to prove it!) I was sent some goodies from Sampar quite a while ago to try out so it’s safe to say I’ve given them a good testing!

One of the things I was sent was the Velvet Cleansing Milk, I loved this so much that I have in fact used it all up which is pretty much unheard of for me. I usually lose interest in products a few weeks in and move onto something new but as far as I’m concerned there is no better cream cleanser than this. I massage it into my face at night and then use cotton pads to wipe away my make-up. I usually do this twice because I wear a lot of make-up! The smell of this product is heavenly, it has a wonderful light rose scent which makes it particularly indulgent to use at night and just makes it seem extra luxurious. Scented products usually upset my skin but this didn’t at all which was a pleasant surprise.

I also tested out the Daily Dose Foaming Cleanser, I love foaming cleansers because they give my skin that super clean feeling that I crave. They can often be quite stripping though but the Sampar one was really creamy and soothing. I’d say lathering is a better word to describe it as foaming sounds a scary term for us dry skinned ladies but this really is as gentle as they come. It also smells lovely thanks to the essential oils which eliminate any nasty toxins our skin picks up from being in polluted towns and cities all day.

I’m a bit of a skincare snob and I have to say that Sampar have well and truly impressed me. Their skincare is available at feelunique.com and Marks and Spencer as well as from the Sampar website.

Re-buys - YSL Babydoll and Clarins Éclat Minute

I've just finished and repurchased two products that have become part of my daily life and that I could not live without!!

Firstly YSL's Babydoll mascara. Oh-my-days this is the best mascara I have every had the delight of using. I used to be a brush only girl when it came to mascaras (none of this new comb type rubbish - or so I thought!), but since being treated to this by the boyfriend last summer, this is my 3rd tube. I don't think thats too bad...it means I've spent about £60 on mascara in a year, which I think is a pretty good deal.

The tube is pretty, the brush thickens and lengthens, and it doesn't flake! This is the biggest thing for me, I'm often up early, a whole day at work rushing around, I need something that will stay put and keep me looking wide awake no matter what time of day it is! Debenhams currently have this mascara on offer from £24.50 to £20.41, a nice little saving which is why I picked one up!

Just such a pretty tube, how can you resist?!

So I take it back, I LOVE comb brushes now thanks to this beauty

I've also reinvested in Clarins Éclat Minute. A moisturising glossy product with a tint of colour, these were made for summers evenings and combined with a tan are just DIVINE. I've bought them in two colours, 02 and 04 - Apricot and Petal. If you want a bit of colour, shimmer plus moisture in this drying weather, this is the product for you. I love it, I pick a colour every single day to wear and I have one always in my handbag. These beauties are £18 and you can pick them up from any Clarins counter...I recommend if you're going on holiday to pick them up from duty free!

Pretty colours and a lovely soft applicator...I am in love!

What are your products you buy again and again and again? I'd love to know what you all swear by!

Becky xx

Freckle Face Freckle Pencil

Now ladies, I don't know if you've seen the new but apparently Topshop are releasing a 'freckle pencil' next month. As someone who does have lots of freckles (that make me look about 5 YEARS OLD!!) without makeup on, this is truly one baffling little pencil. I've spent so many years covering up my freckles/trying to get so tanned they are camouflaged, I just can't understand why anyone would want to spend time adding imperfections to their face.

The freckle pencil will be available from Topshop this month for £5

Not to mention the time it would take....I mean I have hundreds of freckles, if you did 2 freckles a second, 1 minute of time, I don't think you'd get even close to enough to look natural. Plus, we all know in this hot weather make up slips and smudges in the heat...how will that affect this pencil, will you just get dirty smudges across your face when you accidentally forget and touch your face in the heat?

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear anyones reviews once the pencil is released, please do send us your thoughts. What do you think? Have you been lusting for freckles for years or will you be steering clear from this new make up trend?

Becky x