Holiday Beauty Must Haves!

Hey lovelies! This morning as I try to start thinking about what I need to pack for holiday, and getting lost in endless amounts of bottles and products, I thought long and hard about the things I would actually use, rather than trying to cram everything in to my luggage allowance! Here I have complied a list of everything non-essential (essential being make-up, shampoo etc) that I will be taking with me on holiday.

1) Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-In Conditioner
This product is literally amazing. Now I've had it, I can't live without it. Firstly, it smells absolutely perfect, just like all Aussie products do, and secondly it protects your hair really well. It's great for holidays when you're spending long days at the beach to keep your hair protected, but it also acts as a great texturiser for when you get out of the sea with damp hair. It contains Jojoba Seed Oil which helps to naturally condition your hair and prevent it from drying out with all the salty water!

2) Percy and Reed Wonderfully Wavy Texturising Spray

Keeping with hair products, this is a new find for me. It works the same as most texturisers do, and I've got it in this handy mini size so it will take up less room. I find that my hair needs a bit of added texture when washing especially on holiday because the hardness of water from different countries seems to make my hair really soft and hard to work with. It also has a nice salon smell!

3) H&M Tropical Coconut Body Splash

Body sprays and mists are perfect for holidays, they're cheap and cheerful, you can carry them around in your beach bag without fear in case they get lost, and most of them nowadays are actually pretty decent and last a long time. I always get compliments when I wear this coconut scent and it will be perfect for holiday! 

4) Nivea Essential Care Lipbalm

It's really important to keep your lips protected when you're on holiday, which admittedly is something I normally forget to do! This lipbalm contains oils which help keep the moisture in your lips, something you definitely need if you're going to be soaking up the sun!

5) Tangle Teezer

To be honest this probably is an essential item for holiday, but I thought I would include it anyway because I think it will be specifically good for when you've just got out of the pool. I find that my hair is especially knotty then because of all the chlorine, and normal brushes just tug at my hair and it really hurts. But this is specifically designed to tease through the knots without pulling and therefore it's a much easier experience!

6) Maybelline Go Extreme Volum' Waterproof Mascara

Now, I am someone who hates going without makeup. I am fed up of being by the pool with my normal mascara, wanting to go for a dip and coming out looking like a panda. This year I have invested in a proper waterproof mascara that I know is going to work. These mascaras are wax based, meaning the water will glide over it rather than sticking to it like normal mascaras. Best of both worlds!

7) No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-up Remover

Normally on holiday I just take make-up wipes because they are easy and convenient, and who can be bothered with a whole cleansing routine whist you're on holiday; am I right?! However because I am taking waterproof mascara I wanted to take a proper remover that I know is going to get the mascara off, because it's just a little impossible otherwise! This No7 one is really nice, it's one of those oil based ones you have to shake up before using, it gets make-up off with just a couple of swipes so it's still going to be fast and easy.

So that's it for all my little holiday extras! Are you going on holiday this year? What will you be taking?

Lauren x

Primark Beauty: Nails

I saw these fake nails in Primark the other day and I couldn't not buy a couple; they are so cute and they were only £1 per pack! Literally such good value for money. To be honest I wasn't expecting them to be any good, but they were only £1 so I was willing to take the risk seems as I haven't really heard much about them. 

They are actually so good! In each pack you get 24 nails which is just amazing, how many extras does a girl need?! There were so many cute designs but I opted for an Aztec-looking pair and these really cute, bright fruit nails which I think I am going to wear on holiday!

As I said there are 24 nails in each pack so there's a lot of variety size-wise for your nails. The nails themselves are actually really strong and the designs on them are so nice! You also get glue in the pack to apply the nails and I have to say I was expecting it to be a bit rubbish and me having to go out to buy some proper glue, but it's actually really good! I've had the nails on for 2 days now and haven't had any problem, they are just as stuck on as when I first applied them! So glad I tried them and I will definitely be going back for more!

I'm not sure how long they will last on my nails but for £1 you definitely can't go wrong! They would be perfect for a special night out if you can't afford to get your nails done properly too!

Lauren x

Maybelline The Falsies; as good as they say?

So I finally jumped on the beauty bandwagon and purchased the Maybelline the Falsies mascara on the premises that everyone says it's so good. And while I agree that the formulation of the product itself is pretty amazing, I can't quite help but think the packaging lets it down a bit.

There's nothing wrong with the outside packaging, it's pretty standard and the same as most Maybelline mascaras, however I think that the brush really lets this product down. Now this is probably just a personal preference, I have always preferred the bigger brushes compared to the thin ones, but I can't help feel that the brush isn't great quality.

If you look really closely at my brush, small bits of it seem to keep flaking off and I can't seem to figure out what it is. At first I thought loads of my eyelashes were falling out! After a close inspection (and worrying for about 10 minutes!) I discovered that small pieces of the brush kept coming away, and they were going in my eyes as I was trying to apply the mascara, making them obviously really irritated. Now I don't know if I just have a faulty brush or something but that can't be right, right?! I thought it was such a shame because the mascara itself it actually really nice! It really separates my lashes and the colour pay off is so good, so I can't fault it there, I just think it needs a different brush!

Have you tried the Falsies? Is your brush the same?

Lauren x

Summer Wishlist!

Hey guys! Me and Jack have booked a holiday to Tenerife recently, and as it's coming up in just four weeks time I have a little bit of holiday shopping to do! I've been having a quick gander online and these are some of the things I really liked! (and may have purchased a few of them!)

River Island Light Green Textured Bikini (Top £16 Bottoms £12) - I absolutely love this bikini! I think the mint green colour will look so nice with a tan. The bottoms are slightly high-waisted so they will be nice and flattering but they aren't too high!

New Look Patent Blue Box Clutch - £15.99 - I thought this clutch was really sweet, the pale colour means it will go with a lot of outfits, and it comes with a handy chain that you can either use or not. It's quite small so it will be good for the evenings on holiday when all you need to take out is your purse!

Topshop Palm Print Bralet - £12 This bralet would be great on holiday with either a long flowing skirt or a high-waisted skirt or shorts. It's a good way to stay on trend with print but it's not too over the top which is nice!

Topshop Catmaster Sunglasses £18 - I love the tortoise shell pattern on these sunglasses. Normally I would just go for plain black or brown sunglasses and this little mix of the two fits in my comfort zone but they still look cool! I've been seeing a lot of these cat eye sunglasses around this year!

Topshop Looker Cork Platforms £55 - These shoes are a bit out of my price range but they are so gorgeous! I love the cork effect on wedges, they definitely remind me of holidays. I'm looking for a bit of a cheaper option though because my budget is tight saving for spending money too!

Have you guys been making any holiday wishlists? I can't wait to get away!

Lauren x