COUNTDOWN TO PORTUGAL

I am starting to get really excited now as it's only 15 days until me and my boyfriend go away for our first holiday together. We are going to Lagos on the Algarve in Portugal to a gorgeous five-star hotel and I just can't wait! So I thought I'd do a little post about some of the essential holiday items that I've bought and that will be going in my suitcase! 

We fly out very early from Glasgow Airport on the 28th August and are staying in a really modern and luxurious adults-only hotel called the Yellow Lagos Meia Praia. The hotel is situated right on a sandy beach called Meia Praia and is only about a 20-minute walk away from the resort centre of Lagos, which has a pretty marina, a castle and lots of little shops, restaurants and cafes. Here are some pictures of our hotel:

Our room looks lovely, with lots of dark wood and a massive jacuzzi bath in the centre which I can't wait to get into with some bubbles, candles and a glass of something sparkly!! 

We have also pre-booked to do a little boat trip around all of the gorgeous coves, rock formations and grottoes. I am also hoping that we will be able to spot some dolphins as well! 

I am going to write a blog post just about some of the clothes and accessories that I have bought to wear on holiday, but I decided to write here about some of the little holiday essentials. I may have gone a little bit crazy with holiday sandals and flip-flops (I bought all of the shoes photographed above just for Portugal!) but I didn't splash out too much on them. All of the flip-flops and sandals above are actually from Primark! I couldn't resist the bright neon floral flip-flops and the gold diamanté ones and for only £1 you really can't go wrong! I also loved the cute little nude-coloured sandals with the bows on them and thought that they would go with most outfits! 

I bought these shimmery gold sandals to wear at night-time. The detailing with the pleated effect is very pretty and I plan on wearing these with my long black maxi dress when going out for dinner or cocktails. 

I have a few bikinis that have quite a bit of pink in them and I fell in love with these sandals instantly when I seen them. They have cute little daisies on them and pretty rhinestone detailing. These sandals could be worn both casually during the day to the beach or into the town, or could be paired with a more dressy outfit for evening wear.

There are also a few little suncream, shampoos and makeup bits that I wouldn't like to go on holiday without, so here is my pick of my absolute essentials for staying pretty and protected in the sun! 

As I have very light blonde hair, it tends to dry up very easily in the sun and the sunshine can also start to fade my colour slightly. This nourishing coconut milk shampoo and hydrating macadamia oil conditioner is absolute perfect for holiday time. With their lovely tropical scents, they smell gorgeous, the bottles are a decent size that can fit easily in my case and they really help to keep my hair silky, soft and full of moisture. 

£6.99 each from Boots

I love Neutrogena's new nourishing hand cream with nordic berry. This has a very Scandinavian influence and is maybe more for cold and wintery weather, but I like to use it all year round as it keeps my hands and nails feeling very soft and moisturised.

£4.99 from Boots

I picked up this cute and sweet-swelling anti-bacterial hand gel for only 60p from Primark! As it is only a 50ml bottle, it is perfect for popping in your handbag to carry around and will be perfect for travelling. 

I have also decided to try using some of Maybelline's Dream Pure BB Cream. I have never used a BB cream before, but I have read alot of very good reviews and decided to try it (there was also a 3 for 2 on Maybelline products at the time!). I am saving this to take and try on holiday so I am excited to use it! 

£6.99

I am a huge fan of the Hawaiian Tropic range of products and was absolutely delighted when I discovered that Boots had a buy one get one half price offer on them! This is my go-to brand for sun protection and I have never been able to fault any of their products. 

The Silk Hydration sun cream is gorgeous and has a lovely light coconut scent. When you apply it to your skin, it doesn't feel greasy and instead, it feels like you have just put on some moisturiser. It comes in a range of SPF factors so would suit most skin types and I just adore it. I was even happier to discover that I got a free After Sun lotion with it when I bought it. 

The After Sun body butter and moisturising lotions feel light and hydrating on the skin and are also very cooling so it makes them perfect if you have caught a little too much of the sun! 

Their tanning oil is also one of their most popular products and I find it really helpful, as it can sometimes take me a little bit of time to get a decent colour! As long as I am using sun cream alongside this, I always find I get a lovely colour! 

My last holiday beauty essential is some SPF lip gloss. Again, Hawaiian Tropic do a lovely island berry lipgloss that has a light red colour, smells great, protects your lips from the sun and looks good too! I noticed the Hawaiian Tropic lip balm tropical flavour on We Heart It, but haven't been able to find it in the UK so think it must be a product only available in the USA.

I will do another blog post soon on some of my holiday outfits, inspirations and accessories.

Lots of love, 

Karen 

x