I'm only back from Paris a few weeks, so you may be wondering why am I here telling you all about my travel handbag essentials. Well I have a little secret to let you in on, this time next week I will be back in my hometown Dublin and planning on spending the whole summer there. Don't get me wrong I love London, it's such an amazing city with so many opportunities, but it's also super stressful as the same time. Hence why I felt like I needed a break from the hustle and bustle for the summer. I'm also ready to start my career (about time). Blogging has finally made me realise that working within the beauty world, be it PR/social media is something that I would be really interested in... so this summer is all about focusing on myself and creating a super kick ass CV for when I come back to London. Ellie will be starting nursery in September, so I am hoping that it will give me the freedom to get a job suited to what I enjoy doing rather than my lifestyle as a mummy. I'm going to continue blogging as usual through the summer, I'm even hoping I can resume my regular blogging routine, because things have been a little bit crazy around here as my blogging mojo went up & down. I'm even hoping I can include more lifestyle & fashion post around this little blog of mine, as I'll have my sisters to help with photography. So as you can see I am super excited about the move, not to mention really happy for the future & my plans.
For now I thought I would share with you what my travel handbag (or backpack I should say) looks like... I'm also hoping I can share with you my travel makeup bag at some point, if I ever manage to narrow down what makeup I should bring (being away for so long makes me want to bring my entire collection haha but I need to be sensible with my packing so it's taking some time deciding my final makeup choices). I'm not going to go through essentials such as my passport, wallet, things like that as I'm going to try stick to the beauty stuff, especially the products I like to carry when travelling.
So first up I've packed two deluxe perfume samples, clearly I've too much room in my backpack, but I figured these will be perfect while I'm away for the summer to carry in my purse. I'm also bringing a full sized fragrance in my suitcase, but these little samples will be kept for on the go. First up I've got Paco Rabanne Olympea which is a feminine fragrance with floral & vanilla notes, perfect for this time of year. Then I have a recent addition Prada Candy Kiss, which feels like a very sophisticated fragrance with the perfect mix between musk & sweetness (definitely one to check out).
Moving onto the handbag lip products, which is where I've clearly got hoarding problems. Usually I tend to stick to one lip balm (here I have the lovely Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve Beauty Balm*) since my lips get so dry, but seeing as I'm travelling I've found the perfect excuse to add a few nude lip choices to the mix (always good to have plenty of options on a long flight to Dublin I say... more like an hour flight haha). My only excuse is that most of them are deluxe mini sizes... First up I've got an old Clinique Lip Pop favourite in shade Nude Pop, which I picked up in a Glamour magazine a while back. Then I've got a recent addition which is fast becoming a favourite and that is the TooFaced Melted Lipstick* in shade Melted Chihuahua. I never thought I would like brown toned lipsticks but I am in love with this one, not to mention that I just love the formula so clearly I am itching to get my hands on more shades very soon. Last up I've got a super glossy Victoria's Secret Flavoured Gloss shade Indulgence, which I received as a gift a while back and it's been living in my handbag ever since. This is a lovely gloss, with a hint of colour, high shine and a gorgeous fragrance.
Then it's on to hair accessories where I hoard as many bobbins & hair clips as possible. They are always handy to have on a day to day basis, especially whilst travelling.
Last up I do bring a few skincare essentials with me since my skin gets super dehydrated whilst travelling. These products are handy to have as I usually travel bare faced or with very little makeup at all (saves me having to go through patchy foundation & dry spots by the time I arrive at my destination). I've got a new addition to my skincare stash, which is the Weleda Skin Food*. I'm still testing this out and planning on having a full review soon, but for now I can say that this cream is very rich & instantly nourishes any dry patches including my hands, elbows, cuticles, etc. I even use it on Ellie since she seems to have dry/dehydrated skin like me. Next up another newbie and this is the Fillerina Eye & Lip Contour Cream*, which I have been obsessed with using on my lips ever since receiving it. My lips again tend to dry out rather quickly and they are also quite thin to begin with. This is perfect for plumping them up again and keeping them moisturised. I'm yet to use it around the eyes but I shall keep you posted on that. Last up I've got two face mists, because why have one when you can have two right... I'm still in love with the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, which I reviewed here so of course it had to come with me. However I've recently been introduced to a new skincare brand Sönd (watch this space for a full review in the future) so I was eager to start testing out the brands Hydrating Face Spray*. This mini version is perfect for travelling and so far I am really liking how refreshing it feels on my skin.
So with the other miscellaneous bits such as snacks, games, toys, drinks, iPad (all for Ellie might I add), I tend to leave my beauty essentials at that, because there's not much room left anyway. With a short flight however I barely even use half of these, but it's always good to have them with me especially when they don't take up much room as deluxe/travel sizes. I'd love to hear what your beauty must haves do you carry with you when travelling?
*Post includes PR samples