My Holiday Essentials

The weather in Glasgow at the moment is horribly muggy - so warm but dull, with torrential downpours every second day. Sort it out, eh Scotland! For the last couple of years I have spent summer at home, sprinkled with city breaks throughout the year to make me feel like I've got off my backside and went on some sort of holiday/trip. However this year I've booked a couple of weeks in my Aunty's house in Portugal with Pete. We are jetting off to to a little town in the Algarve called Alvor, in August. I spent a couple of weeks there when I was 20, so it will be nice visiting a place that is sort of familiar.

Now, onto the holiday essentials. I am an absolute nightmare when it comes to shopping and packing for a holiday! I tend to be a binge shopper, doing it all at the very last minute and spending a silly amount of money on the cheapest of bikinis, clothes, shoes and toiletries that I would never in a million years wear or use when I get back home. Or the fact that they've been SO cheap, everything has snapped/broken/turned green by the time I return to the UK. This year I have been determined to put an end to the panic buying, and have started picking up little bits and bobs in preparation for going away. Hopefully come August I'll just need to pop out and buy a few final pieces! Here's what I have picked up for my holiday so far:

Be still my beating heart. This absolute beaut of a dress from Little Mistress X Look Magazine makes me feel like a greek goddess. I can totally imagine wearing this going for dinner and cocktails, then a walk down to the marina at sunset. The only thing is it's far too long for me (I'm 5'3) so I will have to wear heels with this otherwise it'll be dragging along the ground. Short girl problems. Now I just need to find a nice clutch bag and some jewellery to go with it.

I'm going to try and re-love some old summer dresses in my wardrobe rather than doing my usual and going out to buy loads of new ones, which is why I am limiting myself to just a few buys (One more space, any pretty dress suggestions?) I wish I could say the same for my bikinis, but every single one I have is so worn, faded, and with the lovely bobbly bottom some of them seem to get after a while (Even the good quality ones - Next I am looking at you!) Plus my body shape has changed a lot in the past few years, so I didn't really need any more excuses.

I got onto you ladies on twitter asking the best place to buy nice bikinis. I love the look of halterneck tops and high waisted bottoms, so my first buy was the one on the left which is from Asos. I absolutely adore the floral print, and ended up wearing this to my spa day last month. But guess what y'all - high waisted bottoms don't really suit me! My dream of being a 50's pin up is absolutely out the window. I have big hips and a small waist but this bikini did not flatter those curves at all. It made me look such a strange shape. It was too late to take it back so I'm holding onto it for holiday, hoping that if I've lost a few pounds by then I will feel a bit more comfortable wearing it. Bikini number 2 is a Ripcurl one from Spartoo, and is the total opposite from the Asos one as you can see how low the bottoms go. And speaking about bottoms, this bikini doesn't cover much of mines, or my boobs! It is super comfy despite being a bit flashy, so I will probably save this for the last few days of my holiday when I am looking to tan up those last white bits. Bikini number 3 was kindly sent to me from AMI Clubwear over in California, along with the cute little white cover up in each picture. Genuinely not being biased after being gifted with this one, but it is my favourite in terms of design and the fit! It's sorta halfway between the Asos and ripcurl bikinis, and definitely suits my shape the most. Americans have got this whole bikini malarkey down to a fine art - but I guess they probably spend a lot more time in them than us Brits. I'll probably find one more bikini before I go on holiday, so if you have any suggestions please throw them this way.

Toiletries wise I am hoping to use up a massive makeup bag full of mini's and samples I have collected over the past year. I managed to use a fair whack of them when I was in Shetland but some of them are more suited to the sun. From left to right...

1. Crazy Angel Golden Tease (Gradual Tan) - I am naturally really pale so tend to use a gradual tanner on holiday to give me a little bit more confidence, and moisturise my skin too. I tried this one out last week and was initially nervous as there is no colour guide in the tan whatsoever. It's just white like any other moisturiser, so I popped some gloves on and hoped for the best! Thankfully when I woke up the next morning it had developed into a nice light golden tan with no streaks (not even on my back at the hardest to reach part where I was sure I hadn't rubbed it in properly) It did have that typical fake tan smell overnight while developing, but after I showered in the morning it was totally gone! It lasted really long as well in comparison to my usual St Moritz, which starts to go patchy and fade after a few days. I'll definitely be taking this one away with me, if I haven't been sneaky and used it all up by then.

2. Soltan dry touch for face - I actually bought this in Boots after a chat with Adrienne from The Sunday Girl after how bad my skin has been lately. She suggested using glycolic acid based wipes and serum, and to then use a daily spf as it makes your skin a bit more sensitive to the sun. I normally just rely on the SPF in my foundation, but I'll be taking this one on holiday as well as it's super light and not greasy at all. Have no idea how girls manage to sit in the sun with full faces of makeup. Come August this is all I will be wearing on my skin during the day! I still need to buy some suntan lotion for the rest of my body too.

3. New CID Tinted Moisturiser - In the evenings this is all I will be wearing in terms of face makeup, along with a little bit of powder and some blush. Sweating plus a heavy foundation is an absolute no no! This tinted moisturiser is nice and light, and I have every faith that it will not slide off my face during those warm evenings on holiday. Can I imagine taking my usual Estee Lauder Double Wear Light to Portugal? Hells no!

4. Paul Mitchell Sun Shield Conditioning Spray - This sun-proofing spray is water resistant and protects against UVA and UVB rays. If you follow me on instagram/twitter (@hellorogue) you'll see I've had a hair colour overhaul, and Tabitha from Blow said it will no doubt fade in the sun, so to get some extra protection on there. I'll probably wait until I come back from holiday to get my colour touched up anyways, but I hope this spray helps while I'm away.

5. Lavoly, The Special One - I was intrigued by this cream as it boasts a whole range of purposes, from detangling and colour saving, to chlorine and UV protection, and frizz control too! Which are all a major problem for my hair when I go on holiday. With the weather being so muggy in Glasgow at the moment I am going to give it a wee try before I go and see if it helps with my recently coloured hair (which I will share in a blog post soon) So will let you know how I get on.

6. Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Moisture Mist - This is my 3rd bottle of this, as it's an absolute godsend! You can use it on your hair and your skin, and it gives a burst of hydration when you're feeling a bit frazzled and tired from the sun. Remember to drink lots of actual water too though! But don't drink this spray as I can't imagine it tastes very good.



Sorry guys, this post has been way longer than what I intended it to be! I've got a bit carried away sharing my haul and thoughts with people who are actually interested (plz oh plz I hope you are) instead of Pete who just rolls his eyes every time I come in with a new shopping bag. The final photo is an order I made from Vans which makes me very, very happy. I needed a new backpack for travelling, so managed to nab one of their new Disney Princess ones (BEST COLLAB EVER) along with the Princess Jasmine shoes. One pair of Vans is more than enough for kicking about during the day on holiday (cause in reality I'll be wearing flip flops the whole damn time) but the ASPCA ones were on sale. KITTEN SHOES. That is all.

I'll leave you a link to my Depop and Ebay in a few weeks time once I've had a massive clear out. My whole wardrobe needs a complete overhaul, so hopefully I can get a rid of some stuff to make space for the new, and definitely rediscover those pieces that fall to the back of the shelves and never see the light of day again. If I start doing it piece by piece I'm hoping I'll have a relatively stress free time when it comes to packing my case. I'm probably tempting fate for the opposite by saying that. Super excited for my first holiday abroad in a couple of years. Do you have any trips planned this summer?