In Flight Beauty: My Skin Care Essentials

In Flight Beauty: My Skin Care Essentials

Tuesday, 30 August 2016

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This may seem a little OTT, especially as the flight to Bulgaria isn't long, 3 hours if that. But me and my skin have finally reached a tentative truce, it won't break out in billions of juicy cystic spots and blackheads if I treat it right. So for my very short haul flight I wanted to keep my skin happy, well hydrated and protect it from 3 hours of air conditioning, these are all the odds and ends that helped me do that.

Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Wipes - £4.19 (currently on offer for 3 for £5) in Boots

The first thing I like to do on a flight is take all my make up off, especially if it's an evening flight, which ours were, there and back. So I needed something that would take all my make up off without me having to faff about with cotton pads and cleansers. Enter Simple's Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Wipes. Now I'm really not a big fan of face wipes, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a beauty blogger who is, but these micellar wipes are a whole different ball game. Simple wipes in general are the only face wipes I tend to use, because they are really good, but the micellar ones are my favourite. Soaked in Simple's micellar water, incidentally my favourite high street micellar water, they're alcohol and oil free and really kind on the skin. They're really gentle but remove make up, including waterproof mascara, absolutely effortlessly and leave the skin feeling clean and fresh. I love these. 

Pixi by Petra Hydrating Milky Mist - £18.00 from Cultbeauty

Pixi's Hydrating Milky Mist is one of my favourite facial sprays and an absolute essential when flying. As the mist is essentially a liquid moisturiser I was mainly using it to inject a bit of moisture back into my skin throughout the flight, effectively giving my skin a double dose of hydration to combat the air conditioning. With an ingredients list that boasts black oat, hyaluronic acid and pro-vitamin a to soothe the skin and encourage it to retain moisture, the fine mist is light and refreshing but provides intense hydration, leaving my skin feeling soothed and nourished. Trust me you need this in your travel bag.

REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream -  £28.00 from Ren Skincare

This teeny tiny tube of REN's Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream was an absolute life saver. Formulated specifically for sensitive skin this nifty little moisturiser is quite the multi-tasker. It soothes and calms the skin, protects from irritants and inflammation whilst also moisturising and protecting the skin from free radicals and environmental factors. The light cream is fast absorbing and left my skin feeling nourished and refreshed. I'll definitely be picking up the full size when I run out.

Burt's Bees Refreshing Lip Balm with Pink Grapefruit - £3.69 from Boots

The idea of having to stick my finger into a pot of Carmex becomes really unappealing when I'm on a flight, surrounded by at least 100 other people and their collective germs and bacteria, and the collective germs/bacteria of the hundreds of previous passengers. Luckily Burt and his hive of Bees provide the solution to this problem. Pink Grapefruit is one of my absolute favourite lip balms, because it is super moisturising, smells incredible and comes in a tube so is more hygienic then my beloved pot of Snoopy Carmex.

Garnier Intensive 7 Days Restoring Hand Cream - £2.99 from Superdrug

It's no secret that I have OCD and really struggle with my hands, especially when I'm in situations I'm not exactly comfortable with, like flying for example. When I over do it with washing or hand sanitiser my hands get really dry and sore, this is the only hand cream I've come across that intensely conditions and protects my hands from my hand sanitiser happy ways. It's fast absorbing, so it doesn't leave my mitts feeling greasy, which I absolutely hate, and even lasts after washing. It's fantastic and saves me from myself a little bit.

Tesco Pro Formula Cleansing Hand Wipes and Antibacterial Hand Gel -  both 75p from Tesco

Speaking of my hands there was absolutely no way I was getting on a plane without my trusty anti-bac wipes and a bottle of hand gel. I like to use the wipes as much as I can as they are much gentler on the skin than hand sanitiser. I also like to have them with me so I can give my seat a quick once over before take off, although it has to be said you do get some funny looks. The hand sanitiser is fairly standard, it contains alcohol so is very drying on the skin but it does get rid of any nasties and contains aloe vera extract to help combat some of the dryness.

I also had floss, hairbands, a clip and chewing gum with me, because no one wants unruly hair and bad breath now do they?

What are your in flight essentials? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat -search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx

What's In My Handbag: A Summer Wedding

What's In My Handbag: A Summer Wedding

Tuesday, 23 June 2015

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Wedding season is upon us and one of the reasons I've not been blogging lately was due to my brother's wedding. So I thought I'd make it up to you guys by sharing my wedding guest essentials with you lovely lot! Now there may have been the slightest chance that I was a little bit... over-prepared shall we say? The words 'No Lauren you can't take a sleeping bag to your brother's wedding!' may have been used when I was getting ready. Still better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it... I think.

First off let's talk about the bag itself. I wore ivory and neon pink to the wedding and was looking for a matching clutch bag for absolutely ages until I spotted this little beauty on ASOS (you can get it here). It's the Lisa Long Frame Clutch in Pink from New Look at ASOS. It's a really pretty, textured, faux leather bag with gold detailing and a chain strap. It went with my outfit perfectly and was big enough to hold everything I wanted to take with me without looking bulky. I love it.

So what was in this beautiful clutch bag I hear you ask?  Well let's start with the basics.

ID, Money & Keys

Now I know these all seem really obvious but when it comes to weddings normal rules don't seem to apply. Even if it's an open bar money is essential at a wedding, even if it's just for the taxi home at the end of the night. ID again essential, if like me you are cursed/blessed with a baby face then you need it! I get ID'd for absolutely everything (including a dvd of Madagascar for my nephew. True story) and the last thing you want is to be caught short without your ID when everyone else is knocking back the champers. Last but not least keys, yes they may jingle at inappropriate times during the ceremony but that is a risk you're gonna have to take. I mean how else are you supposed to get into the house after? My mum actually left hers at home so it was bloody lucky I had mine with me or we'd have been stuck.  

Deoderant & Sunglasses

Let's be real now people, no one wants to be a Sweaty Betty at a summer wedding, especially if you're there for the whole day rather than just the evening and/or you're wearing a sleeveless dress. For my brother's wedding I was both so I had to be prepared. ALWAYS BE PREPARED! This Right Guard deoderant is really good because it keeps you protected from any odour (ergh I hate that word!) but doesn't stain your clothes, it also has quite sleek packaging so it's not too bulky and fit into my bag easily. Sunglasses are another necessity because no one wants to be squinting in the sunshine or the wedding photos. These ones I think are from Primark from about 3 years ago but they kept the sun out of my eyes and matched my outfit perfectly. Winner.

Make Up Pouch

Make Up Pouch containing: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Warm Medium, Concealer Brush, Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Bluffing, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Pink Pong, Bourjois Cream Blush in Rose Tender, L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara, MAC Eyeliner in Feline, Eclipse by Ghost Perfume Rollerball, Tissues, a hairband, Superdrug Non Slip All Day Hold Hair Grips, Patisserie De Bain Cranberries & Cream Hand Cream, Superdrug Antibacterial Hand Gel & painkillers.

Okay so this is where it starts to look like overkill and I look a little bit... cray! I told you I like to be prepared. Basically I am the most hopeless of hopeless romantics and I always, ALWAYS cry at weddings. It doesn't even matter whose wedding it is I'll still be a bit misty eyed before the brides even down the aisle. However this particular wedding was my older brother's, I was expecting, and preparing for, a full scale meltdown.

This little make up pouch was a gift from my mum's friend, I think it came from Superdrug, and whilst I'm not crazy about the design, the size is perfect for popping all my make up and odds and ends in without cluttering up my bag. Everything I packed was to make sure that I could deal with the tears during the ceremony and then touch up my make up after. I also took painkillers just in case, hairband/hairgrips if I lost control of my hair, a perfume roller ball in case my perfume wore off, hand sanitiser because I actually can't go anywhere without it and hand cream to stop my hands drying out. I also left a bottle of suncream in the car and took a cereal bar with me in case I got hungry before the meal. 

So I may have been a little bit over-prepared...

Phone, Phone Lead & Portable Phone Charger 

The iPhone is a smart phone with a stupid battery, how they've developed a phone that can quite literally do anything BUT has the average battery life of under a day is beyond me! I'm kind of the family photographer, it's not an official title, but I'm the most snap happy and take all of my photos on my phone, which drains the battery like crazy. Taking my charger meant I could take pictures to my heart's content without worrying about my phone suddenly dying.

Looking back I may have been a tad over-enthusiastic in my preparation.This is just what I take to a wedding imagine how equipped I am for a zombie apocalypse (JK I'm totally not prepared for that!)

What do you take with you when you go to a wedding? Let me know on twitter, by commenting below or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses & pinterest for regular updates.

Love love love xxx