Summer Series | Holiday Essentials

Okay apologies are in order. There has been a massive delay between my last post and this one. July seemed to pass me by in a flash. Granted it's now August, but until schools are back, it always still feels like summer, so I have the final post in my Summer Series, you can find post one here and post two here.

So the reason my July was so jam-packed was mostly due to holidays. This year I decided to do a series of small trips and as a result my make-up bag needed to stay light. So I'm going to share with you what made the cut.

Since I spent some time travelling around Ireland as well as the UK, airport security was also a factor. Keeping it basic was key (full details of products below).

I made sure to keep it really minimal, I left out things like primer, eye lash curlers, extra brushes, brought no more than one of each type of product.I brought the two essential brushes (and the NAKED palette comes with one), I figured anything else could be blended with fingers. I guess my main piece of advice, even if you think you need everything, there's surely a couple more things you can cut out. I know personally when I'm away on holidays, I just want to spend the minimal amount of time on getting ready as there is so much to go out and enjoy and experience. I even know some days I won't want to wear make up. So I really factor this into my final choices. Essentially a good rule of thumb is: no more than one of anything. I find the biggest thing that will weigh you down is have three different mascaras and five types of lip gloss. Choose the bare essentials and your back will thank you for it, when you don't have to lug it all around from city to city.

I teamed my make up collection with the a couple of nail varnishes (again look for cheats like using the same polish for your base coat and top coat). I kept it bright, summery and simple.

So the running theme is basic and minimal. What are you holiday essentials that you can't live without? Do you pack light or do you pack everything, including the kitchen sink?

Face
Make Up For Ever Face & Body Liquid Make Up (#20)
NARS Creamy Concealer (Custard)
Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder (Pale Yellow)
Bourjois Blush (48 Ashes of Roses)

Brushes
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
Real Techniques Powder Brush

Eyes
NAKED Palette (No. 1)
Essence Eye Liner Pen (Black)
Maybelline The Rocket Volume Mascara (Waterproof - Black)

Lips
Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer (Big Bang)
Make Up For Ever Rough Artist Natural Lipstick (N22 Pink Peach)

Nails
Essie Top Coat (No Chips Ahead)
Rimmel Salon Pro - Kate Collection (Purple Rain)
Models Own Splash Collection (Pink Paradise)

Review: Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure

With pastel shades reappearing now that the summer is here, I decided to try Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Jaded.

The first time I tried it I wasn't overly impressed, I am rather used to one layer nail varnishes that you pop on and go. With this particular polish, that does not work however. Once you paint onto your nail for the first time and you go over the nail again (to ensure you covered all areas) I find the second layer sweeps up the first layer. In addition to this if you try to overcome this by using a slightly thicker first layer, the polish slides to the side of your nail and dries in a lump around the side of your nail or on your finger.

However on my second attempt with a bit more time, I put on two thin layers and was suitably impressed. I like the colour, the finish and the general appearance of the polish. You would however definitely need to allow it extra time to really dry in. I would not recommend doing anything too manual for quite some time afterwards, since even after it appears dry, due to the nature of the product it's liable to get imprints/indentations.

Sally Hansen claim for this particular brand that it has "7 Benefits of a Salon Manicure in 1 Bottle". It does appear thick and sturdy on the nail, giving it a salon looking finish that is sometimes missing with other brands of nail polish. All in all I would definitely recommend this nail polish.

The shade is also great as it can go with almost any colour whether you're choosing to wear pastel shades or dark colours. Neon and pastel mixing is also a popular trend which is emerging this summer. For the more daring polish wearers, you could really embrace this and accent your ring finger perhaps with a neon shade (this polish is also available in "Back to Fuchsia").

What do you think? What are your favourite shades for Summer 2013?