Hello everyone! Today I’m going to talk about summer holiday packing prep, and chat about some of the products & regimes I used and swore by on my holidays. Three weeks ago I headed off to Portugal for my summer break, and since coming back I feel like I never went – the weather has been SO BAD! I love everything about a summer holiday, the countdown, the shopping for perfect outfits, buying sun cream - even the packing! Whether you’re going abroad for your holiday, or heading to Enniscrone for a few days, getting away is so exciting, and it’s definitely my favourite thing about summer months.

What I packed in my skincare bag:

We were away for 11 days so I knew I’d need a lot of products, I had a 20 kg bag thankfully which was half -full of skin and body products! Firstly something I ALWAYS have in my plastic airplane bag is an Avene Water Spray, I spray this every 20 minutes during the flight to keep my skin hydrated, Daniel loves it too, (sorry D!). My skincare on holidays is a little different to my usual routine. It tends to be mostly hydration and SPF focused, I don’t use my usual night oils or heavy exfoliators. I also picked up loads of sample sachets from work so I wasn’t carrying big bottles with me – (if you’re in a pharmacy picking up a few bits, always ask for samples, keep these in a box and you’ll have lots for holidays). We’re more than happy to give out samples so please always ask! I used a mixture of Nuxe & Caudalie. In the Caudalie range I brought lots of the VineActiv serums & eye creams, and a travel sized body lotion for night time. On nights I felt my skin was tight I used Nuxe Prodigueuse Night Cream – this is possibly my favourite ever night cream. So rich and moisturising, perfect for a change in climate & air conditioned apartments. For cleanser I brought some Avene Micellar Water in a plastic container, and I also brought a little bottle of Caudalie Gentle Cleansing Milk for nights I wore make up (this wasn’t that many)! The most important thing I pack in my skincare bag is of course my SPF. My go-to SPF is always Nuxe. I love the smell, how effective it is, the glow it gives to your skin and how hydrating it is. Although I tan, I am quite fair and wear SPF 50 on my face every day. Click here to buy! On holidays I also wear a hat during the hottest hours to make sure the sun isn’t ageing my skin or burning my scalp. I get a ridiculous amount of freckles on holidays, and even with the SPF they all came through, I just didn’t burn. I just love the Nuxe SPF, my mum is using it now too every day, and it’s her new fave. I always make sure to pack an SPF lip balm to prevent coldsores. My lips got burned one day and it resulted in THREE coldsores. By taking L-Lysine before you go and while your’re in the sun it will prevent this!

Body Products/ Toiletries:

My body products are mostly an assortment of sun creams, after sun, body mists and hair oils. Like I said, Nuxe is my go-to for SPF, (for any suncare really), so I packed Nuxe SPF 50 & 30 for body, aftersun, shampoo, shower gel and a leave- in Nuxe hair spray for during the day. The body SPF lasts for ages, I applied it every hour, and switched to 30 SPF after one week, and there’s still lots of both strengths left. Click here to buy the 30 SPF & HERE for the SPF 50. In the evenings I used the Nuxe aftersun which keeps my skin from peeling and gives a gorgeous glow in the evening. Click here to buy! I don’t bring perfumes with me, I tend to use coconut body mists or coconut oil. The new Nuxe Sun Fragrant Water Spray is FAB - and a perfect summer scent. In terms of tanning, I hate when tan wears off after a couple of days, so I applied Cocoa Brown Dark the night before I went and didn’t apply it again after that, I just wanted a bit of a colour for the first day.

My Make-up Bag:

I can’t stress how low maintenance I am on holidays with my makeup, to be honest, I’m pretty lazy with makeup on a daily basis anyway! I always get lash extensions applied before I head away because I never feel the need for much makeup when I’m wearing them. I brought my Pippa Palette, Sleek Brow Kit, Master Palette, about 34 lipsticks (I wore two of these), and Nuxe DD Cream in Medium. Every night my go-to makeup look consisted of Nuxe DD Cream, it’s a tinted moisturiser that I mix with Flormar Radiance Primer and it just gives a glow without covering your skin, a cream blush, nude lip gloss and brows. The Nuxe DD Cream is something I’ve been using for two years, it has SPF 30, and I wear it every day during summer months. Click here to buy!

Post- Holiday regimes:

So, after the holiday I am never in the mood to resort straight back to my usual routines, I’m in complete denial! I make sure to apply aftersun every day, I’m still using this to try and preserve my colour somewhat. For my face I have been layering on hydrating moisturisers and serums, and applying hair masks. I think it’s impossible to travel without carrying water weight, so I made sure to keep drinking Miss Fit Skinny Tea to help drain fluid and toxins and reduce bloat. {All products mentioned in this post can be bought in either of our stores or by clicking on highlighted links within the post. We have a great offer currently running with Nuxe - when you buy two or more Nuxe Sun products you'll receive a FREE Hair & Body Aftersun Wash (200ml), we'll automatically pop this in with your order.} If you’re heading on a holiday soon, I hope this helped, and I hope you enjoy every second! Let us know if you have any tips, tricks, or any products you swear by when you’re away, we’d love to know! Here's a few pictures of my holidays, we had the best time and I can't wait for our next one! Elisha :)