I’ve been doing lots of beauty dissects over on my snapchat lately (username @lucywilliams02) and you guys seem to be loving them. After chatting through the contents of my suitcase over there last week, a few of you asked me to do the same for my wash bag so here we are. The wash bag in question (pictured above) is a lovely one Darphin kindly sent me

I’m fairly low maintenance on holiday and always end up using less that what I bring (a bit of a tan covers a multitude of sins). I don’t do painted nails, hair tongs, straighteners or heavy makeup, but I do do nourishing hair stuff, beachy scents and good quality sun care. So without further ado, let’s get packing…

Face

When I’m somewhere hot and sunny, my skincare routine becomes all about the evening. In the morning I just wash my face with something light like Darphin’s Cleansing Foaming Gel and follow up with a simple, light moisturiser like Oskia’a Multi-Active Day Cream. With heavy sun cream and sweat, I like to keep everything else super light. A face spritz in great for cooling hot, red skin while a great, nourishing serum is a must for me for trying to help skin repair itself over night if you’ve been in the sun.

Micellar Water 
Liz Earle Eye Cream 
Darphin Foaming Gel 
Oskia Day Cream 
Herbivore Botanicals Face Spray
Elemental Herbology Cell Nourish Serum 
Darphin Ideal Resource Radiance Cream 

Body 

Body care is probably what I pack the least of. With all that sun cream throughout the day, drinking lots of water and lying on the sand, my skin always feels softer than ever on holiday. This Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess exfoliating cleanser is amazing at getting limbs looking glowy but I’d probably only take with me if I was going for a week or longer. If I’m going to a hotel, I don’t take shower gel as I know there’ll be something there but this Nuxe shimmering shower oil is lovely for something a bit extra. I always use Lancaster when it comes to after sun. I would normally go for the Tan Maximising cream but bought this dry oil spray in the airport recently. I love an oil mainly because it’s just fast, easy to apply and leaves a nice sheen.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Exfoliating Body Cleanser
Nuxe Shower Oil 
Lancaster Oil Repairing After Sun 
& Other Stories Coconut Lip Balm 

Hair

Hair stuff is probably the biggest pile in my wash bag. My straw-like hair has a tendency to become super thirsty on holiday and anyone with bleach in their hair needs to protect it from becoming brittle and breakable thanks to sun and salt. I love this Nou Nou shampoo by Davines and always take a full-size, super nourishing conditioner so I don’t have to scrimp on it. I got this in Paris recently from David Lucas’s eponymous salon. It’s full of strengthening keratin which is great after a day of rays. Christophe Robin’s products are my absolute favourite and I’m currently obsessed with this Volumising Mist that smells like rose water. A hair oil is a must for my deydrated ends while Ouai’s wave spray helps keep hair beachy even after you’ve washed all the salt out. Sachajuan’s Hair In Sun cream is great for protecting hair from rays; I slick it through wet hair on the beach. Another top tip is to have a fresh water shower before heading into the sea. It stops hair absorbing so much salt water and losing moisture thanks to laws of osmosis. Clever stuff hey.

Davines Nou Nou Shampoo
David Lucas Conditioner
Christophe Robin Volumising Mist
Ouai Wave Spray
Liz Earle Botanical Hair Oil
Sachajuan Hair in The Sun
Tangle Teezer 

Sun Care 

Obviously sun care is essential. I never go under SPF 15 and mainly stick to 30 unless it’s not too hot or I’m already tanned. I’ve never really got the appeal of expensive sun cream if I’m honest and have always just used Piz Buin. I love the smell, the fact it goes on easily and quickly and sin’t remotely sticky. I use Soltan Kids SPF 50 on my face; it’s the only stuff that really stays put and doesn’t shift which is great for my rudolf-like nose. Because it’s for kids it’s really water-resistant and pretty thick but the most important thing is it really keeps your skin safe.

Scent

For me, fragrance is a a real memory trigger and mood boosting so I normally take at least a couple for a week or more. A bit of an indulgence maybe but I 100% value fragrance over other things so I take the hit. Just please make sure your precious bottle isn’t over 100ml if you’re only taking hand luggage – no one wants to see that in the bin with all the plastic bottles.

Tom Ford’s Soleil Blanc is pricey but is just summer in a bottle. It smells like coconuts, sun cream and jasmine and is therefore perfect on any sunny break. I’m generally obsessed with this new Byredo scent. Masculine and feminine, it is heaven in a bottle. Musk, tobacco, rose, patchouli… I don’t actually think this one is out yet (the brand very kindly sent it to me) but keep your eyes peeled for it as it should be dropping soon. The Armani Prive one is new to me and when I sprayed it the other day, I felt like it was made for holidays. Super fresh and light, it actually has a lot of similar notes to the Byredo one so I guess I’m finally understanding what I’m naturally drawn to… This would be heaven after a long, cool shower somewhere hot and sticky.

Armani Prive Pivoine Suzhou 
Byredo Cuir Obscur
Tom Ford Soleil Blanc 

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