Pre-Holiday Beauty Haul

I've mentioned this a couple of times, but I'm going on holiday in just a few days (to Tunisia with my boyfriend) and I'm not sure why but I just really, really love shopping for holiday toiletries. I love the excitement of using brand new things while away so here are my collective beauty and holiday related purchases, mainly from Asda and Boots:

Travel Minis: Shampoo, Conditioner, Dry Shampoo, Deodorant
I have a 'thing' for mini things, I really do and I just don't know why. What is it about something being really small and overpriced based on how much product you get that just makes me drawn to it? God knows! But you can't go on holiday without a few travel sized essentials, so I typically picked up a dry shampoo (for volume purposes), a deodorant (for sweat avoidance purposes), and a shampoo and conditioner for the obvious and essential hair washing purpose. These were 4 for £3 in Asda.

Holiday Must-Haves: Factor 30 Suncream, Lip balm with SPF, Shower Gel, Razor
Urgh how stupidly expensive is sun protection?! For something you need to protect your skin and yourself, £8 for this little bottle is ridiculous! It was the cheapest option available and this 'Protect and Bronze' variation supposedly helps with the body's natural melanin production to improve a tan. Speaking of expensive sun protection; £3 for a Nivea lip balm - Asda don't be so silly please, didn't these lip balms used to be like 99p?! And of course the obvious picks of a razor to stay smooth and stubble free, and some yummy shower gels - why has no one told me how good pink grapefruit smells before?! Mmm! (If you're a fan of Original Source then these bottles are only £1 in Asda). 

Garnier Ambre Solaire After Sun Hydrating Tan Maintainer
Ooh a little cheat product here - an after sun with a very subtle gradual tanning ingredient added to it! Spotted in one of Birds Words favourites posts and then seeing it half price in Boots led me to slip it into my basket ready for slapping all over my skin following a day in the sunshine. After sun is a must for holidays away to hot and sunny countries, and although I'm well stocked up on aloe vera based gel formulas for soothing any burnt areas, I also wanted a really nourishing and moisturising lotion too. The self tan ingredient helps to maintain and slightly intensify the tan you've spent all day building up, and I'm hoping it can also balance out and minimise any strap marks or tan lines from clothing/swimwear too.

Aussie Miracle Insurance Leave In Conditioning Spray
Dove Nourishing Oil Care Leave In Spray
These two are pretty much the same thing and have the same function: a leave-in conditioning product. Some form of conditioning and detangling aid is a must-have for me, whether I'm away on holiday or simply at home in my own bathroom, because I have unruly and tangley hair that needs help to be tamed! After a day of sun, chlorine and sea water breezing through my hair I dread to think what state it'll be in and an extra conditioner is going to be essential!

Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation
This is definitely the best foundation to hit the high street since Rimmel's Wake Me Up. I LOVE this. Offering a medium coverage on skin, I love this foundation for this time of year as it blends seamlessly and effectively covers any redness and helps to create a more even looking skintone, but it still allows my freckles to show through which gives a much more natural and 'I'm not wearing make up' kind of look. It offers a healthy boost of radiance (clue for this is in the name), and lasts all day with a semi-dewy finish. Did I mention that it also smells like fruit?

Topshop Blusher in Flush
Not too long ago I wrote a post about another Topshop blusher (Prime Time) and although I do love it, it is very pink and I was looking for a bit more of a coral toned shade with tanned skin and my holiday in mind, so I settled on Flush. These cream blushers are very silky and lightweight on the skin, and although they're incredibly pigmented, a light hand can create the most gorgeous natural wash of colour for a healthy looking glow across the cheeks.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush
After buying the Real Techniques Blush Brush and Shading Brush from Lookfantastic.com just last week (see previous haul post), I couldn't just stop there and I added one more to the pile in the form of the Stippling Brush. It was a bit of an impulse buy, but I do always just use my fingers to apply cream blushers and have heard that this particular brush makes application much easier so I thought I'd give it a whirl and see how it goes.

Seche Vite Top Coat
If you read my Products I've Used Up (#2) post then you'll see that I was having a mental debate with myself about whether to buy this or not after my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat had deceased. I was directed to a link on Amazon (link here) to where this was only £5.50 (about half price) so I just went for it and clicked 'buy now'. Being the little shopping daredevil that I am. I've not actually had chance to use this yet but I'm hoping that it's legendary 'no chipping' powers live up and will make it possible to last all week on holiday without having to touch up my nails - fingers crossed!

Offer now on: Escentual.com currently has 'up to 1/3 off' French pharmacy brands on their site for the whole month of June. So yes, that includes some of the brands that have become increasingly popular and have a whole range of products I'm itching to try! Bioderma, La Roche Posay, Avene, Caudalie, Vichy ..and more! The order that I made was quite restrained but I could easily have had a shopping basket with a 3-figure total! Here's what I ordered with my holiday in mind:

Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray (link)
La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water Spray (link)
With both of these costing under £5 (with the special discount), and having basically the same name and same functions I couldn't make the decision of which one I wanted. So, I made the classic decision of just getting both! I thought it would be a nice idea to use them both for a while and then do a 'comparison post', to help anybody else out with the decision of which to choose - I don't mind being a research guinea pig. They're both basically just face mists/cooling sprays; an essential if you're hopping off on holiday to a hot and humid climate, like I am. Look out for a further post on these two!

Bioderma Micelle Solution 100ml (link)

Aw! Isn't it cute?! This 100ml bottle now completes my Bioderma family (is it sad I just used that term?!) as I now have a bottle in every size. It's my go-to cleanser/make up remover and just makes everything so quick, easy and simple, so for just £3.00 I couldn't resist ordering it in a really handy travel friendly size bottle. 

Hope you enjoyed, and be sure to take advantage of the Escentual offer!

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