Looking After Your Skin on Holiday

Only a few days to go till I fly off into the sun and so I merrily started my cosmetics packing today.  I imagine I am not alone in enjoying the process way too much!  I had a good search around in my drawers for all my current skincare faves and then combined them with a few more specific products to deal with sun exposure and dryness which inevitably come with 3 weeks abroad. Here is what I am packing...

Serozinc - £8.50 here

I am taking this with me as a cooling spray that should hopefully help keep breakouts at bay too.  It is lovely and cooling and sometimes the change in climate and products mean I can breakout so I am hoping this will help a bit. The mist on this is super fine and it also doubles as a toner keeping my vanity case weight down (it needs all the help it can get!) Another bonus is that it can be used to help heel minor cuts, bites etc.. a zinc is used in hospitals to speed up heeling time.

Effaclar Duo - £15.50 here

I use this at least once a day as a serum anyway as it is great for pigmentation which isalways an increased issue for me when in the sun.  It is so lightweight yet packed with a plethora of treats for the skin, such as ceramides, salicylic acid, niacinamide and LHA.  I love this product and can never be without it.

Lancome Eau Micellaire - This is actually Garnier Micellar water in disguise (shhhh) £1.99 here

For removing the copious amounts of waterproof mascara I shall be wearing.

Indeed Labs - Retinol Reface - £14.99 here (bargain)

A must for sun damaged skin, I use this on my neck and decollete too to try slow down any damage done by the sun.  I am not the biggest fan of the silcones in this as I find them a bit unnerving texture wise, but the pump dispenser makes this perfect for travel.

La Roche Posay - Anthelios XL Ultralight* - £16.50 here

I received a sample of this at a La Roche Posay event at Christmas and I have used it every day since, I am still on the same bottle and I have about a quarter left. This is the bomb when it comes to facial sun screen, it sinks in so well with no white residue. It's tiny ,so easy to pack, it's SPF 50+ so nothing is getting through this baby and it's cheap for such a high quality product. I have already bought a back up, in case I am ever without it. I have heard that they do a matte SPF 30 version that I can't wait to try.

Nip & Fab Glycolic Fix - £12.99 here

These pads are a cheaper version of the First Aid Beauty Radiance Pads, I think I paid around £5 for them when they were half price at Superdrug.  I really like these as they are more portable than the Pixi Glow Tonic (which is another excellent chemical exfoliator.) I need a good exfoliatior more than usual on holiday as the elements tend to make my skin more rougher than normal and so any help I can get in removing dead skin cells is greatly appreciated.  I am not a fan of physical scrubs at the best of times but particularly not when when I have been out in the sun all day (ouch!!)

Vichy Idealia Skin Sleep * £26.50 here

I am pretty new to this product, but so far so good.  I use this after retinol before bed and it is an excellent moisturiser for thirsty skin.  It's aim is to counter the effects of sun, poor nights sleep and bad nutrition choices (which is a pretty steep claim tbh) but it does leave my skin feeling baby soft and the pigmentation more even.  I think this will be the perfect things to combat the late nights, excess alcohol intake and sun that I am certain to encounter on holiday.

Body Skin Care

The most obvious concern when on holiday is sun damage, I use to not take this very seriously as I tan easily and aging seemed forever away.  Now I'm 36, I use full precautions.  I sit in the shade anyway, as I like to read on holiday and the glare is too annoying.  I have recently found some amazing sun screens that feel feather-light on the skin, and even improve the look of it, without that greasy gloopy white smeary mess you used to get.

La Roche Posay Anthelios Comfort Protective Oil SPF50+ £18.00 here

The original and the best, comes in the very distinct clear pump bottle.  The smell is divine and I challenge anyone not to be in the holiday mood after catching a whiff of this.  The texture is similar to a serum or oil and it sinks in very quickly leaving a lovely skin enhancing sheen behind.   The slight colour means that it also enhances your natural colouring too.  It's not cheap but it works every time.

Reiman P20 SPF50+ £24.99 here

This is for our eldest not me.  She burns so easily in the sun but as she's getting older she hates having sun cream applied to her but isn't diligent enough to make sure she has done a good job herself.  P20 is applied just once a day and is fully waterproof. You need to wait a bit for it to dry but it really works.  No burn no matter how long you're in the sun for.  This is also great if you accidentally got burnt the day before as it stops any more sun damage in it's tracks.

Malibu Continuous Spray Dry Oil SPF's 15 and 10 £3 here

This comes as a lotion and an oil spray, I don't like the lotion one as it is white and needs quite a bit of rubbing in.  This however is glorious, you just mist yourself all over and you're left with a lovely sheen and light sun protection.  This is for the end of the holiday only, as it's SPF is pretty low, though you can get it in a SPF 30 but I couldn't find any this year.  This is a real bargain too, you can regularly pick it up for £4.

Dove Summer Glow in Fair to Medium £2.62 here

This is a summer staple and I have been using it for years.  I love the classic dove smell, it's very moisturising but more importantly it helps even out a patchy tan.  I use this on strap marks, paler-than-the-rest-of-me-legs and as a tan prolonger.  My husband is the biggest fan of this, even though I have to buy it.  I think I got this for £2 in Beauty Savers.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Scrub - £8 here

Great texture, not too grainy nor too smooth.  The smell is divine, like key lime pie (which I am sure is too teenagery for most but I love it.)I will be using this on my upper arms and shins to get lovely smooth limbs. I like all the Soap & Glory scrubs so any would have done.

Body Shop Vanilla Sugar Body Butter - no longer available online

Again, like the scrub, this could be any body butter from the Body Shop as I love them all equally.  Basically this was the only one I had left in a travel size. Lovely vanillery scent coupled with heavy duty moisture for parched dried out skin. I imagine this will be used on my feet most days as all that flip flop wearing takes it toll.

Seems like a lot, doesn't it?  But it is only part of the cosmetics collection that I am taking with me.  There are obvious multiple bottles of the sun creams, as there are 5 of us and 17 days.  I will try and post my holiday makeup and hair kits, but with only a few days to go and a gazillion jobs still waiting in the wings, I'm not sure when I will get the time.

What are your must-have Summer Savers?

*PR Sample received for review purposes