Luxe Beauty Life | Travelling Light

So, lucky old me is off to Florence tomorrow! I absolutely can't wait, but despite all this excitement, I have the feeling of dread when I hear those painful words 'luggage allowance'. I am only off for 4 days, but what always gets me in a spin is trying to skinny down the cosmetics, so I thought it would be useful to let you know how I attempt to be a bit frugal on how much I bring with me - means I can buy more at duty free then, right?

I took a deep breath and decided to bring together the majority of the products I would usually use over a 4 day period, there were a couple of bits that I missed, but I would say I got all the big hitters in there. This massive haul of products looked like this....

"This does not look shared-small-suitcase-for-a-long-weekend compatible" was the polite response from my husband when he walked in the room...and promptly walked back out! So I have managed to get my weekend cosmetics to a slightly more manageable amount which now looks like this...

I managed this miracle using the following tricks:

1) Samples. This is when sample size products come in to their own, if you happen to get a sample of a product that you quite like, but not enough to veer away from your usual favourite, save it. When you are going away, using sample sizes is so much easier, and you don't mind that it isn't your favourite product...your on holiday, who cares?

2) Containers. For the when your favourite products are essential, (mine is flash beauty balm) then buy some empty containers from a supermarket or pharmacy and squeeze a bit from the full size product to save on room/weight.

3) Multi tasking products. Products that can do more than one thing are your friend when it comes to travelling light, so get packing those lip and cheek tints, multi use oils and anything else that can work its magic more than once.

4) Eye shadow palettes. In my first pic I only showed a tiny proportion of the various eye shadows and creams that I own, and I never know what look or eye colour I will want to try from one day to the next. So I find eye shadow palettes are a good use of space as packing all the different eye shadow pots is a little infeasible, but with a palettes you still get plenty of choice and it slips right in between your knock out dress and skinny jeans without barely making a difference space wise. The one I have shown is a palette I picked up from Sephora last year, and I have heard on the blogvine that they are now shipping to the UK! Woohoo!

Now I am all packed, and ready to go without sacrificing my beauty regime. It is worth noting that the second pic doesn't show a bottle of perfume because obviously I will be making use of duty free ;-) 

Have a great Sunday and I will be blogging all about Florence, home of the oldest beauty shop I. The world, when I get back!

Beauty | Paul & Joe Hair and Body Mist Review

A while ago I became slightly obsessed with the idea of a hair fragrance. Having long hair I loved the idea of each time my hair moved getting a waft of fragrance, and I also liked the idea of being able to refresh my hair when those unwanted smells latch on to it like grimy cities and smoke can. The benefit of a fragrance specially for your hair is that it isn't as harsh as a standard perfume which can dry out your hair. After searching around I found that at the time there weren't many hair mists out there, so I bought Paul & Joe's offering for around £20. The great thing about this scent is that you can use it as your main perfume too so you don't have to worry about pairing scents together, it is a light floral scent with cute and pretty packaging and bottle. I found it didn't seem to last all day so it did require another spray throughout the day, but it was a lovely scent for the warmer months and I can imagine this would suit all ages. I have even used it to give me clothes a freshen when heading straight out from work!

Beauty | Kérastase Nectar Thermique Review

My ghd's were a great investment...I use them almost every day. My hair require serious taming as it is that awkward not quite wavy enough to be boho and far too frizzy to leave so I have been through numerous products over the years to find something to protect my hair from the big heat I subject it to. After years of searching, I am quite convinced I have found the one. I first came across Nectar Thermique about 6 months ago when I went to a salon for a blow dry, afterwards my hair felt so fantastic I asked about all of the products that were used. I needed a new heat protector as my usual spray had run out so I spent a little bit more (it is ~£15) and bought this. I use it when my hair is damp and use a generous dollop massaged into my hair and then combed through before blow drying and straightening. It is very light so you don't feel it weighing your hair down and after 6 months use it has made a real difference to the health of my hair, less split ends and more shine. This is a forever product for me, I can't imagine another product coming close in spite of its high price. I have found one bottle lasts me about 4 months which is really good going!