Travel Essentials

Tomorrow I'm heading out to South Africa for two weeks so I thought now was an appropriate time to share with you some of my favourite things that I've picked up to take with me on my travels. On side note, this will also be my last post until I'm home again as I've been so busy sorting out everything for my trip that advance planning posts for when I'm away got pushed to the back of my list and didn't get done.

My first 'essential' is the carry on perfect Travel Bottle Set from Paperchase. The clear plastic bag is perfectly sized to hold your carry on liquids and unlike most other carry on plastic bags this one has a cute little palm tree image of the front, it makes me dream of being somewhere exotic (I soon will be, eeep!). Inside of the set are two spray bottles, 3 normal lid bottles perfect for shampoo, conditioner and shower gel or bubble bath, and 3 little pots you could put moisturiser, sunscreen, foundation or even an extra pair of earrings in. What I also love about this set is it comes with two sheets of clear stickers with various things you may fill your bottles an pots with so you can label them so you don't forget or mix up what's in them. How handy!

The next item is a super cute world map ticket and document pouch (similar here). This is perfect for keeping your tickets and boarding passes in as well as any important documents you may need from getting lost in the bottom of your bag. The pouch contains 3 sections labelled Documents, Passport and Tickets. This keeps all of your most important papers separate and handy.

My little black Radley leather passport cover is next on my list (similar here). My Nana got this for me not long after I'd booked my trip and it is possibly my favourite of my essentials. This handy little cover contains a clear side to hold your passport and a card holder style layout on the opposite cover. It perfectly fits my passport, vaccine book, a little money for the flight and the 3 cards I'm bringing with me (bank card, railcard and Boots card...just incase I happen to wander in at the airport...). 

Finally is my floppy hat. When I saw on my kit list I needed a wide brimmed hat, as someone who bears a surprising resemblance to a country farmer when wearing a fedora I knew this was my excuse to buy a straw floppy hat. I'm going to be working with wildlife out in South Africa but this hat would see you from Safari to Mediterranean beaches to sunny big city escapes and back home again. Perfect for any sunny holiday!  

So that's my four favourites, essentials if you like, of my packing that anyone could use. I hope you all have a great few weeks, I'll be sharing my adventures once I'm home if you're interested!

Review | w7 In The Buff Palette

w7 In the Buff

I spotted this palette in Next not long ago and immediately thought of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes. I don't have any of the palettes myself so can't compare them very well but the w7 In the Buff is a definite dupe for Urban Decay's Naked 2.

I love all of the colours in this palette, they can make so many different looks to take you from day to night, it's great playing around with colour combinations to see the looks you can make. All of the colours in the palette have a neutral brown-gold hue (except obviously the black), they almost all also have a slight shimmer to them which looks great when applied to your eyelids. However, I do think they could be slightly more pigmented as it takes a fair amount of eyeshadow to get a good colour.

I also love the packaging of this product, the pale gold tin is very pretty and definitely mimics the look of Naked palettes. I was quite disappointed though when I went to use the brush with this palette, its very thin and a little scratchy so doesn't apply the eyeshadows very well, because of this I've been using my realTechniques eye brushes to apply the colours.  

I definitely think this palette will become a favourite of mine and it's also only a fraction of the cost of Naked 2 if you're looking for a cheaper alternative.

Have you tried this palette? What's your favourite Naked dupe? 

Review | Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Petunia

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Petunia

I'd never tried Burt's Bees before but when I heard they did tinted lip balms I had to try them out. I'm a sucker for lip products and tinted balms are one of my favourites for low maintenance colour that keeps lips moisturised.

Burt's Bees tinted balms come in a variety of colours, I went for Petunia, a pale pink fairly natural toned balm. The pigment in the balm is very sheer, it's difficult to tell if this just the shade I picked or whether it's the formulation of all of the balms as this is the only one I've tried. Despite initially being disappointed with the very sheer cover, this has become one of my favourite lip balms. It provides a little colour to my lips without me needing to be aware of it partly coming off and leaving behind oddly lined lips as lip sticks often do, making it great for when you don't have time to be constantly aware of your make up.

As a lip balm, the main feature I expect is for it to moisturising and Burt's Bees does not let you down in that aspect. This is by far one of the moisturising lip balms I've used, it keeps my lips feeling soft and stops them drying out for quite a while after applying.

Have you tried Burt's Bees tinted balms? What are your thoughts?

Review | Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner

When I saw the July issue of Glamour Magazine came with a free Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eye liner I couldn't resist paying the bargin price of £2 to try out the eye liner, again. I tried an Eyeko eye liner around this time last year that I got free with a magazine and having read a lot of rave reviews about it online I was left fairly disappointed with the product, it dried up quickly and I could only manage to get a faint, barely there line on my eyes, despite this I thought I'd give the product a second go.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner

As an initial sceptic of all of the hype around Eyeko eye liners I immediately tested this on the back of my hand when I got it, I was surprised that unlike my last Eyeko this one seemed capable of an actual black line. Excitedly I tried it out on my eyes and found I couldn't quite get the line as dark. I've found there's  bit of a knack to using it as in order for the ink not to run to the bottom of the pen away from the tip I need to angle it fairly steeply. I've also found that keeping the pen upside down in my make-up holder keeps the ink near the tip ready to use. 

Moving on from the colour, I love the brush of this eye liner, it's very easy to use and glides on, I've also found it easier to do a little cat flick with this eye liner than with others I've used and I can quickly apply it without making a mess all over my eyelid, so that's a win for Eyeko there. 

I guess it's a bit of a love-hate relationship with this eye liner, for as long as it draws black I'll love it, but if it starts to quickly dry up I'll be searching for a new brand.

Have you tried Eyeko eye liners? What are your thoughts?

Summer Beauty Lust List

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray: Surf spray is great for getting a beachy summer hair texture, I've read several reviews saying that the Bumble and Bumble surf spray is the best people have tried. I also love the packaging of this surf spray the silver spray nozzle gives the packaging a little more of a sophisticated look than other surf sprays, it would definitely look good on my dressing table! The only downside is it's fairly pricey at £21.50 for 125ml 

Urban Decay Naked 3: I've been lusting after this palette since it came out and I have still not had the spare cash to be able to buy it yet, I've seen various reviews of the palette by various bloggers and all have loved it. I love the rose gold hues of this palette as well as, again, the packaging.

Benefit Posie Balm: This is one of a collection of new balms by benefit to match their lip and cheek tints. These are tinted hydrating balms which provide a sheer colour, perfect for sweeping on for a light colour over summer as well as keeping lips from drying in the heat.

Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish, Soho Place: I'm yet to try any of the gel effect polishes but I'm a big fan of Nails Inc polishes anyway, the gel formula claims to have a plumping, high gloss formula and this shade is a great stand out summer colour for me as this Tiffany turquoise shade is one of my favourite colours!

Dior Addict It Lash: I was initially attracted to this new mascara by Dior by the packaging, similar to their Addict lipglosses, it's fairly sleek. Its claims to transform the eyes in a single flourish, a fairly big claim, and is available in 4 colours, while I'm not sure I'm brave enough to go for anything other than black, if you're feeling bold for summer you could try a hot pink, electric blue or pretty purple lash. 

Smashbox Photofinish more than Primer Blemish Control: As a brand I love smashbox and their photofinish primers have received rave reviews, I had a small sample of the normal photofinish primer and loved it, it smoothed my skin and minimised pores. As someone prone to breakouts now and then I'd love to try the blemish control primer and see if it really did have an effect on my skin.

What's in your summer beauty lust list? Are any of the products I've listed your favourites?