Holiday makeup | Shona

Having returned from a sunny lil' holiday a few days ago I have been trying (and failing) to banish those holiday blues with a  few mad men marathons. However today I thought I would try a different approach by talking about makeup instead!

The makeup that I took with me was used mostly in the evenings as I cannot cope with makeup maintenance at the beach or pool - apparently The Algarve (where I was staying) was experiencing a heatwave so it would not have been comfortable at all!

However there was a few bits that I wore during the daytime which this post will be concerned with, and then there will be a follow up of the evening products.

I hate the feeling of sunscreen ESPECIALLY on my face. The idea of putting the same greasy sunscreen I use for the body on my face freaks me out a little. However it is pretty crucial if you dont want to burn so before my holiday I decided to buy a sunscreen especially for the face. There seemed to be a distict lack of this type of products as I was perusing the boots aisles, so in desparation I picked up the La Roche-Posay Anthelios cream in SPF 30 as my facial sun protectant. At £14.50 a pop its not the cheapest (I did split the cost with my sister but it was still and extravagant purchase), however in my opinion it is worth it. About 10 minutes after application apart from the somewhat plasticy smell (reminds me of the smell of clingfilm) it has completely sank into the skin, and I would be comfortable putting foundation over it, something that I wouln't even consider with other generic suncreams. In my opinion the melt-in-cream claim is true and I might even go so far as to say my face seems slightly mousturised after using it. But  back to its main purpose; it did a great job at protecting my face from the sun - and from a consistent 'burner' this is a big deal! I applied it in the morning and then once more after about four and and half hours which seemed to do the trick.

PHEW way-more-detailed-than-anticipated-review OVER.

The second daytime essential for me was mascara, I bought the L'Oreal Telescopic mascara just before I went away and although I accidentally purchased the waterproof version this came in handy on holiday! Its very lengthening which is perfect for daytime and once I applied it in the morning it didnt cross my mind in a sudden oh-god-is-it-all-over-my-face moment once out of the pool! However I regret this being the only mascara I brought with me as it simply dosnt give enough volume as I like in more evening appropriate make-up.

Lastly I used some of my Collection 2000 Lasting perfection concealer, to cover up some blemishes and although this probably didnt hang around too long, it made me feel more comfortable without my usual foundation routine.

Thought I'd include just one picture of the clear sky, blue sea and golden sand to make you all a little jealous...

Have you been anywhere nice recently? What are your holiday makeup essentials?

Shona xx