Pack for the perfect holiday | Beachwear & sunshine essentials

Everyone I know seems to have a holiday booked and my Instagram is packed full of people showcasing their countdown clocks to the big day itself when they board that plane, meanwhile I sit here dreaming of my dream destination and perhaps even a long weekend around a British seaside town where I am most at ease and less stressed.

With summer just around the corner (hopefully) and holidays on the horizon, most shops I have walked in to within the last week have had their 'Summer Essentials' put right at the front of the store so you cannot fail to miss them.

Items such as bikinis, beach towels, suntan cream, flip slops, hats, sarongs, you name it, it is there for you to want, need and buy.

Accessorize have put together this short video to help you pack for that perfect holiday and discover a chic holiday style for every look under the sun with a selection of items from their Beach Shop.

I am one of those last minute shoppers for the essentials, though if I am only going away for a few days, I have light packing down to an absolute art.  That said, I still haven't bought a single item and I am away for a few days in June.

Have you got a holiday coming up?  Do you shop around to find the perfect outfits for everyday and every night to wear whilst you are away?  Don't forget to go to Accessorize.

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My Evening Skincare Routine With Origins

There are two products that feature in my evening skincare routine and I think they work brilliantly together.  Before I go to bed, I always remove my make-up, wash my face and then apply one of these two products:

Origins High Potency Night A Mins Mineral Enriched Renewal Cream which is a bit of a mouthful, is the one in the brown glass jar and I was introduced to it back last year at a Company event in Central London which you can read about HERE.  

Described as follows:

"Put dullness to rest. Wake up radiant & refreshed. Now nature's famed night cream is newly fortified with a system of time-released resurfacers plus Vitamins C, E & H, minerals & moisture-rich replenishers. While relaxing aromas lull you to sleep, skin sloughs away dry, dead layers. Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins™ helps the appearance of dullness.

98% of those who tested it agreed - used regularly, skin was renewed and refreshed in the AM. Helps the slumber deprived wake up on the bright side of the bed. So why face dull skin. Sleep it off tonight"

The cream itself, which is bright white in colour is also quite thick which means you don't need to use too much of it to cover your face. I find this cream really hydrating and with the weather constantly changing my skin is in need of a little TLC and I like that I can apply a night cream and when I wake up in the morning, I have lovely soft, smooth supple skin. I was told that this cream had a funny scent to it, but I actually quite like it, quite fruity, not quite orangey but definitely a hint of a citrus scent for me.

The cream is said to work best for people who have combination/dry skin and as I have combination skin which is oily but with dry patches, I tick all the boxes for this cream. I wouldn't hesitate to repurchase this when it runs out, a full size 50ml jar costs £34 and is available with free delivery from Origins' website.

The second product that I have been using is the Overnight Drink Up Intensive mask, which I read so much about on other blogs that it soon rose up my wishlist and I bought it.

Described as:

"Origins Drink Up™ Intensive Mask makes skin feel smoother and hydrated

Skin depends on water for its youthful functioning. But all day long, skin loses vital moisture. And the busier you are, the more it loses. This intense moisture replacement mask deeply quenches compromised moisture reserves and builds a reservoir for tomorrow. Japanese Seaweed repairs skin's barrier to prevent future dehydration and signs of premature ageing.

This again is a cream with a fairly thick consistency and a little really does go along way.  I use this as instructed which is is twice a week currently and I simply complete my bedtime routine as mentioned above and then instead of using Night-A-mins cream, I use this in its place.

To apply, you are supposed to literally slap it on ensuring that there is a thick layer on your face, which is what I was told in Boots where I bought mine from, then leave it on your face overnight to sink in and work its magic.  With ingredients like Apricot Kennel Oil (which is amazing for keeping your skin hydrated) Avocado oil and Mango butters, all of which have moisturising qualities that help your skin to retain its moisture, you won't be surprised to find that it is absolutely amazing.  Every time I use this, I am always surprised to find how soft and smooth my skin is the following morning, especially if I have been suffering some dryness on my cheeks or forehead which is where I have problems.

A 100ml tube retails for £22 from the Origins website and again, once mine runs out, I won't hesitate to repurchase it because I absolutely love it and I love knowing that if my skin does need a little more TLC than the cream above can give me, this is just brilliant for doing that.

Both of these products have left me wanting to try more from the Origins range as I absolutely love both products.  

Have you got any favourites from the Origins range?  What would you recommend trying?

Balance Me Natural Protection Moisturiser SPF25

When Balance Me invited me to a sneak preview of their new product The Stellar Balm, due out in May, I also got the chance to have my skin analysed and try out one of their other new products which is the Balance Me Natural Protection Moisturiser with SPF25.

Described as follows:

A 99% natural protection moisturiser SPF25 which contains a unique blend of natural ingredients to give you the best possible holistic protection from the sun and environmental damage, while also working as a skin nourishing anti-ageing moisturiser.

This is no ordinary product, it took the Balance Me team two years of extensive research to come up with their pioneering formula and within it are five key elements which all work harmoniously together and they are:

• Innovative SPF - What makes it so special is the use of an innovative sun filter, using titanium dioxide as a physical mineral filter.  It works on both UVA and UVB rays, offering great protection against sun damage and makes it suitable for those who suffer from things like prickly heat.  It is also suitable for all skin types.
• Antioxidents - These are vital in protecting the skin against environmental factors that can damage the skin,  The antioxidents, one of which is blackberry seed extract, neutralise the free radicals and also encourages collagen production.
• Essential Fatty Acids and Vitamins - The carrier oils are rich in essential fatty acids and vitamins which help to nourish and replenish your skin.  These oils include Abyssinian which is radiance enhancing, Camellia which is softening and Rosehip which protects.
• Essential Oils - Bergamot, Frankincense, Roman Chamomile and Lavender are all used together to calm, soothe and brighten the skin.  All these elements together also help to treat any symptoms of environmental damage such as redness, inflammation and sensitivity.
• Hyaluronic Acid - This is used to deeply hydrate and plump the skin making it beautifully soft as well as helping to restore the skins natural moisture balance.

What I really like about this product is that it comes in this handy to carry around 40ml tube which is really slim and sleek.  It features a screw on and off lid and you only need the smallest squeeze of the tube to release enough cream to cover your entire face.

To use, you are directed to apply a light layer of cream onto a cleansed face in the morning, it can be used on is own, over your regular moisturiser or under foundation.  You should also apply to your neck and decolletage.  The cream itself is white in colour and it absorbs quickly into the skin without blocking your pores or leaving a greasy film behind and as always with Balance Me, the scent is absolutely stunning not to mention how hydrating it is for my skin, which upon application is lovely and smooth to the touch.

For me this type of product is perfect because I have a real issue with putting suncream on my face from your normal bottle, spray or pump, I don't like the texture of feel of those creams on my face, so I am always looking for an alternative and this is exactly that.  As it is oil based it gives a very light barely there feeling on the skin instead of feeling as though it has clogged every pore on your face, which is how normal sunscreen makes me feel.  Then at the end of the day, again rather than having horrible feeling skin, I have soft, smooth skin.

This product is available now as you can see HERE and it has an RRP of £26 for a 40ml tube.

Are you a fab of Balance Me?  What SPF do you use on your face?

Everything is Coming Up Roses with Rose & Co.

Rose & Co. to give a very brief introduced was created by Patricia and Caroline Rose when they bought an old druggists shop in Yorkshire. With a love of all things vintage, beautiful and romantic, they restored the shop to its former Victorian splendour and a quirky but charming beauty apothecary was born.  All products are made in the UK with professionally blended handpicked ingredients. Products are made in small batches in the UK and soaps are still traditionally milled and pressed in one of the oldest soap factories in England.

With spring well and truly on its way the scent of fresh blooms is just a sniff away read the card which accompanied the latest release from Rose & Co. Packaged beautifully inside this paper was the following:

The first thing I can tell you about these products is their scent is truly magnificent, it was the first thing I noticed before how intricate the delicate the design on each bath fancy was, which as you can see is beautiful, each fancy is finish with a handmade flower to add that little extra wow factor.

The first box of three bath are called "Everything is coming up roses" and it contains three different scented bath fancies which are Rose, Rose and Patchouli and Sugar Rose.  All three of these products contain three common ingredients - Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter and Almond Oil, all of which are known for their moisturising and hydrating properties on the skin. 

The second box are Hyacinth bath fancies and i absolutely adore the scent of these.  Each one is as beautiful to look at as with Everything Is Coming Up Roses.  Again, the three main ingredients are the same as before with Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter and Almond Oil, the one real difference with Hyacinth is the scent and as a child my Grandma always had Hyacinths in a vase in the hallway and the memories came flooding back, it is a scent I adore in flowers and something I have been looking for in candle form for a long time and am yet to find it.

Using these products is one of those things I find hard to do, they look so beautiful that just throwing them into the bath seems such a waste, that is until you actually do put them in the bath, as soon as they come into contact with water and the scent is released, it is simply stunning, the steam vapour carries the scent into each room in your house and it is far more powerful than any candle or reed diffuser that I have ever used and the scent lingers for a good hour before dissipating.

A box of three bath fancies cost £10 and for a little gift these are a fabulous choice and if like me you enjoy your bath as a place to relax and unwind, I cannot recommend these highly enough.