My Holiday Essentials | Products

Hey dolls,

I know this is a bit different to my usual outfit posts but I'd like to throw in a few more beauty posts as I feel I have learnt a lot about beauty products from following all your fab blogs out there so I might as well share the things I am loving and if I think they are worth buying. I have made a list of my 11 must-have, for me, holiday essentials. Now when I say essentials, I mean essentials you may forget or not usually bother to use. I mean sun cream isn't on this essentials list but obviously that's an essential and some of the stuff I have listed you will probably think, well yeah, duh of course I take that. Either way, its basically a list of stuff I always pack with me on my Summer holidays.

Mac | 'Costa Chic' & Mac | Gold Deposit
Mac lipsticks are definitely a firm favourite in my lipstick collection, I have about 25 different shades now as I just love everything about them from the different textures, to the amazing pigmentation. When I jet off on my holidays I love to take a few different shades but one that never fails to escape my make up bag is a coral shade. Perfect against glowy skin/ tan and suits both blondes and brunettes! My favourite coral lippie is 'Costa Chic' which is a light coral shade with a gorgeous shimmer effect. It's not quite as bold and pigmented as my other coral fave, 'vegas volt' but its great for day to night wear making it in my eyes that little bit more versatile.

I'm pretty late on this band wagon, but I wanted to share my thoughts with you on another AMAZING Mac product that I got last Christmas. My mum needed to get me some more little presents for Christmas and she ended up just telling me to choose some make-up as she didn't have a clue what else to get me. So I picked up a few bits from Mac and was immediately drawn to this gold glittery pot also known as MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in 'Gold Deposit'. I'm a sucker for anything bronzed and glittery and I love a multifunctional product, such as this golden highlighter powder.
I have only used it a few times since buying this and I absolutely love it. I love sweeping this along my collar bone and across the balls of my cheeks after applying my base. It has great pigmentation and you can literally put this anywhere in my eyes. It looks lovely on top of a matt bronzer on the apples of your cheeks. I think this is a perfect product for summer as well. It definitely came on holiday with me as it looks amazing once you are bronzed up with a tan. Definitely a massive thumbs up from me!You can get both of these from any MAC counter and also their online store HERE and HERE.
 
Batiste | Dry Shampoo
I definitely overuse the dry shampoo, it is my saviour as I don't tend to wash my hair every day due to my hair being quite coarse and dry naturally. Washing everyday would be a nightmare. Plus, I hate the chore of washing my hair as now it's getting longer it takes forever - ugh. So I only wash my hair once or twice a week (I know - you're thinking ew) and freshen it up with my trusty dry shampoo! As the sun dries my hair out even more I try to only wash it 2-3 times on holiday as well, so the dry shampoo is an absolute necessity for me, nothing worse than oily flat hair. If you don't use this shampoo already you can get any of these beauts from most drug stores - I usually get mine from Super drug as they have some good offers on quite often. I have Tropical and Lace at the moment which both smell delicious! The tropical has a coconut aroma, which is perfect for holidays!

Herbalife | Radiant C Face Quencher* & Herbalife | Radiant C Daily Skin Booster*
Oh my gosh, the Herbalife face quencher is probably one of my most favourite things to take on holiday. When I'm sunbathing my face always gets super hot and constantly feels like it needs splashing with water every few minutes, which isn't ideal when I just want to lie there and be lazy! If you feel my pain, then you should snap up this amazing little quenching face mist from Herbalife. This beach bag essential instantly hydrates and refreshes my skin with a few quick sprays. You simply spritz onto your face when your in need of refreshing and it's water based so it's nice and gentle on your skin. This sells at £7.00 and is worth every penny for two reasons - the lovely refreshing feeling and the delicious citrus-y fresh smell! Mmm!

Another Herbalife product that I have been loving recently is the Radiant C Daily Skin Booster. This sells at £24.20 which is pretty pricey, but I have been really enjoying how nice this product goes on and makes my make up look loads better. I use this as a primer usually underneath my make up when I am going out. As it is filled with antioxidant vitamin C, it instantly brightens my skin and I would also use this for day to day wear when I don't usually bother with a foundation base. It smells delish and good to put on at night time if you have been a bit careless and burnt your face - I am prone to this :( ! Herbalife don't directly sell from their website but you can search for distributors near you on their website HERE. 

Herbalife | Boost Moisturiser* & Garnier | Sunkissed Moisturiser
Moisturiser is so important to me on holiday, after a hard day of lying by the pool 8) I always smother myself in some form of aftersun or moisturiser when I get out the shower. I usually use Garnier as I love the smell and application of these body moisturisers, but I was sent the 'Radiant C Hand & Body Lotion' to try so I thought I would give it a whirl. This moisturiser goes on really well and doesn't leave me feeling greasy which is always a plus in my eyes. It also contains SPF 15 coverage to protect me from the rays, which is useful when you are going out for dinner when its still quite sunny. The only downside to this moisturiser is the packaging. Don't get me wrong, I like a simple packaging but the colour of the bottle seems a bit dull and for some reason looks a bit 'old'? It is also on the pricey side of £24.35 and even though it did the job, I probably wouldn't rush out to buy this again based on the high pricing.

Garnier Sunkissed Moisturiser is definitely my all time favourite tan moisturiser, not only does it smell delicious, but it is great for applying over a natural holiday tan to enhance your golden colour. Admittedly this probably isn't something I would take away with me as I usually tan quite well, but I like using it when I get home. I also think it's great for those that don't tan so well in the sun as it gives you a bit of colour whilst your away as well as acting as a nourishing moisturiser for your skin. They have this on offer in Superdrug at the moment, try it if you haven't already!

Orofluido | Hair Oil & Aussie | Heat Protector Spray 
I have reviewed this hair oil HERE when I was first starting out my blog (cringinell) and I have religiously used this ever since then. I was introduced to this hair oil by one of my girls and if you are looking for hair growth using hair oil is definitely the way forward. It doesn't have to be this one, as I realise the likes of Moroccan oil are a massive favourite in the beauty world, but for a third of the price this oil has definitely transformed my hair. I wouldn't dream of going away without it. As you probably know the sun dries your hair out massively so giving it that extra nourishment and sealing those ends has never been more important! I usually get mine off eBay but I have found it cheap on 'Cheap Smells' HERE.

To me a heat protector spray or leave in conditioner is definitely a must on my holiday list. I always take one with me when I go away somewhere hot to keep my hair nourished and stop it from drying out. I have quite natural dry hair so it just gives it that extra softness whilst I'm letting it bake away in the sun 8). Aussie is one of my favourite hair brands so I picked up a heat defence spray just to pop on whilst I'm in the sun. They also have a leave in conditioner which is great for holidays that I would also recommend as both smell AMAZE. These are available in most drugstores. 

BassBoomz High Performance Bluetooth Speaker*
So this isn't a beauty product but it's definitely another must for me on holiday! I recently had the opportunity to try this super cute wireless speaker after trying out the Bass Buds headphones from the Glamorous party event. I was super impressed with these so I had high hopes for the BassBoomz! This portable speaker is perfect for taking on holiday for blasting your Summer tunes as you simply need to charge it up and you are ready to go anywhere! The battery life lasts for ages and it is LOUD! I would probably use this at a house party or chilling in the back garden/balcony on a sunny day as it has a very impressive sound for such a small speaker! I guess it goes with the saying good things come in small packages :). You can get the BassBoomz speaker from www.bassbuds.co.uk for £49.95 (reduced from £79.95!).

What are your holiday essentials? 

Nail & Skin Art

Hey dolls,

Hope everyone's having a good week so far :) I thought I would do a post on some skin and nail art products that I received when I attended Em Sheldons very well planned North Blogger Meet Up in Manchester a few months back. The goody bags she put together for us were absolutely jam packed with amazing goodies and I literally filled my bathroom cupboards with amazing stuff.

These two little beauts have definitely been two of my favourite things out of all the goodies and I have used them lots. I recently piled them all on for my birthday weekend when I attended Parklife festival in Manchester, as I figured they were pretty festival appropriate.

I had used a few of the temporary tattoos on my wrists for nights out but I chose to use the 'Love is enough' written tattoo across my collar bone - very Rihanna inspired! I absolutely loved it and it lasted all day which left me very impressed. There's nothing worse than a temporary tattoo coming off mid-day, EW! These are great as well if you are considering getting the real deal as an idea. You can get these online HERE for just £4.99 and they come with three sheets of temporary tattoos. There are other packs to choose from too which look pretty cute, I'm definitely wanting to try them all out!

I had also used the Nail Art pack beforehand and kept it subtle with a nail art sticker on my 3rd finger keeping it simple. I think it looks really cute when you have a bit of detailing on that finger with a plain polish. However as I was in festival spirit, I decided to whack one on every finger. They are so easy to put on as you simply apply to your nail and then I added a clear top coat for extra protection. They stayed on really well and I would definitely repurchase these.You can get these online HERE for just £5.99 and you get 60 super cute nail art stickers to play with. There is also a free delivery code - winning!You can also buy both of these from Boots or Urban Outfitters as well! 

You can kinda see how both turned out in the pictures above and I added a few of me and my girl Chloe at the festival which was such a fun day and super sunny :) It was safe to say the drinks were flowing and we were loving life watching all the performances. Definitely a good birthday!

Have you tried Skin or Nail Art products?

We're up all night to get lucky

Black Tube Dress - American Apparel // Yellow Neon Kimono - H&M // Flower Crown  - Primark // Heels - Primark // Sunglasses - Primark

Hey dolls, 

I wasn't going to put up this post due to the lack of quality of my photos, so sorry about that in advance! However, I quite liked this outfit regardless of the bad photography so I thought it would be a shame not to share. 

I wore this outfit when I went to Parklife for my birthday (minus the kimono and heels!) and it's become a summer fave as I have since wore it again when I was away on holiday. I saw this beaut kimono in H&M and I knew I had to have it. I have been after a nice kimono for ages and particularly love the burnt out style kimono's that have been knocking around recently. I figure this is a little more on the brighter side 8) but I think this is perfect for holidays and looks lush with bit of tan ;). It is a bit of a daring colour but I think with a plain black dress or another plain outfit underneath, the pop of neon really makes the outfit. If you haven't been in H&M recently, they have lots of nice bits in, I literally had to stop myself buying half the shop!

I find Primark a bit hit and miss but recently I have picked up a few lush pieces that were super cheap such as the rose crown and the Zara copy heels. Why pay more when you can pay less eh? I have worn both of these items quite a few times now and both of them probably came to less than £15 - Baaaaargain. My friend also very kindly gave me this American Apparel dress which I love! I'd be stupid to turn down a free LBD right? Staple wardrobe item alert! 

Has anyone been in the sales yet? I ventured into Zara at the weekend and it was absolute bedlam! I think a week night visit is much needed as I couldn't be bothered fighting through the crowds! If you follow me on Instagram (ashleighgxoxo) you might have seen I picked up my white mini shopper bag that I have wanted for ages so this put a smile on my face! 

Hope everyone is having a good day! 

Have you been in the sales yet?

Red

                        Dress - MissGuided // Chain - Ebay // Stud Platform Boots - Daisy Street*

Hey Dolls, 

Eeeep I haven't blogged for so long, I've been so busy! I turned 23 this month and ever since then I've been non stop. Need to get my blogging head back on :) 

I recently got this dress from Miss Guided which I have wanted for quite a while as I don't really have anything in this style and I like the 'bardot' style cut at the top. I think the free delivery swayed my decision to finally buy the dress as well 8). When I first got the dress I loved it but I wasn't so keen on the length as for some reason it just didn't look right on me. I tried rolling the dress up to a shorter length which I decided looked much better and made the amendments myself. Despite all this there is a shorter length version of this dress called the 'Rorry' dress but me being lazy and impatient, didn't want to wait for returns/exchange and I could have been possibly out of the time limit to return anyway. I also need to add that the quality of the dress is really impressive. The fabric is quite thick with a good stretch which is what you want in a bodycon dress, I've had some bad ones that are super thin and just pretty rubbish in general but this one gets a massive thumbs up!

I think this is perfect dress for day to night wear as I think it would look lush with biker style or cut out black boots for through the day and then with some heels for night. I teamed mine with the trusty Jeffery Campbell lookalikes from Daisy Street, which have featured on quite a few of my posts now and my chunky gold chain necklace which is always hanging round my neck - it's love!

You can get this dress HERE off Miss Guided for £14.99 and the shorter version that I have amended my length to HERE for £13.99 which in my eyes are both major bargains!

Do you like the 'bardot' style?