Summer Holiday Essentials

Hey everyone! I’m back again with another summer-themed post, seeing as I’m going to be jetting off on holiday in just under 2 weeks, so my brain is just constantly in summer mode, especially given the great weather we’ve been having! With that being said, I’ve decided to share with you some of my essentials for bringing on holiday with me in the summer. These obviously aren’t the bare essentials you need to bring with you, but just some of the things I make sure to bring every year, as they really help make my holiday even better.

Disclaimer: items marked with * have been gifted to me for reviewing purposes. All opinions are 100% my own.

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A Nice Pair of Sunnies

Obviously an essential to bring with you if you’re holidaying in a warm and sunny country is a pair of sunglasses. I thought I’d just include these ones because they’re probably my favourite sunnies I’ve ever had, as I love how they’re quite small, meaning they don’t take over my whole face and you can see my eyebrows above them. I don’t know why this is something I like, but to me, I just look so much better when my eyebrows aren’t covered by huge frames. I also adore reflective sunglasses at the minute, as I think they give such a cool look to your overall outfit, so these ones are perfect for me. I picked these up last year in Topshop but I’ve seen them in stores this year (although I can’t find them to link, sorry), so have a look in your local Topshop for these!

Heat Protectant Mist

Heat protectant mists for your hair are always an essential for me all year round, but they’re definitely something I ensure to bring on holiday with me. I wash my hair a lot more often on holiday than I would at home, so it’s super important that my hair is protected from the heat of the hairdryer, straighteners, curlers and all that. Heat protectant sprays or conditioning mists are also great to apply during the day, for example when your hair is damp after just coming out of the pool, as it can help to keep it smooth and soft, as well as protecting it from the sun. I’ve also heard it’s good to apply something like this before you go into the pool or sea, to protect your hair from the chlorine et cetera. This *Multivitamin NourishingSpray from American English is my absolute favourite hear protectant, as it makes my hair sooo smooth and soft.

Mini Perfumes

I love a little spritz of perfume on a daily basis, but I’m not about to bring my huge, fragile bottles of Marc Jacobs with me in my suitcase (lol). For this reason, I’ve resorted to bringing little mini perfumes like rollerball ones or crayons. I’ve included in the above picture my favourites: a rollerball version of Soap and Glory’s Original Pink and Nicki Minaj’s Onika perfume, as well as a fragrance stick from Victoria’s Secret in ‘Tease’. These are easy to just pop in your suitcase and apply before you go out the door for the evening, and they won’t take up all that space in your suitcase.

Setting Spray

Setting spray is an essential for me all year round at home, but it’s particularly useful for me on holiday. I spritz a good load of this on at night after I’ve done my makeup, to ensure my makeup lasts all night in the humid air on holiday. My favourite is the Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray.

After Sun

We all know what it’s like to get sun burnt on holiday, especially if you’re the colour of a milk bottle like me, and burn super easily. This means that one of my absolute essentials to bring on holiday is After Sun. It helps soothe any painful burns and helps to fade your sunburn a lot quicker. It’s also great to just apply all over your body as a moisturiser after being in the sun all day, to keep your skin lovely and hydrated and to stop your sunburns peeling. The one I’ve been using is this Soothing After Sun from Malibu which works really well.

Cleansing Oil

If you’ve been reading my latest skincare posts then you’ll know that I’ve been absolutely converted to cleansing oils to take off my makeup. They’re just so much more enjoyable to use than swiping a cotton pad with micellar water all over your face, and they make your skin feel so soft and cleansed. I think they’re great to bring on holiday because it means you don’t have to bring a ton of cotton pads or wipes with you. It also helps that they’re super moisturising, because when I’m on holiday I always notice I develop dry patches on my face, so this will hopefully prevent those. My fave cleansing oils are from DHC (you can read my review on this one here) and I would recommend them to anyone! This is a mini version of their Deep Cleansing Oil, which is not only adorable, but is perfect for travel. 

Face Sun Cream

Sun cream is obviously an essential on holiday, but in this post I’m going to be talking about sun cream for your face. I hate the feeling of sun cream on my face, as it just feels so sticky, heavy and gloopy, and it really does not work well with my oily and acne-prone skin. Therefore, I always ensure to use a sun cream which is formulated for the face, as they’re a lot less sticky and are lighter. My fave is this Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration one, which is the perfect travel size and is so easy and quick to apply. It blends into my skin easily, leaving it feeling soft and fresh, but not sticky or oily.

A Cute Passport Cover

I’m going to finish off this post with a random little favourite of mine: this adorable passport cover. I actually got this free in Superdrug last year (I think?) and I absolutely love it. Passport covers are great to take travelling, as it means you can easily tell apart everyone’s passport if you carry them all together. And of course, it’s just stylish and adorable, so why not?

 These are all my summer holiday essentials which just make life a little better on holiday and when travelling. What are your summer holiday essentials?

Thank you for reading! Lots of love,

Andrea x