HOLIDAY ESSENTIALS: The Sugar and Spice Summer Book Club

This is pretty much how the space beside my bed looks right now - an ever-growing tower of books to read this summer:

In fact, apart from the bottom one - Minding Frankie - I have already finished them all and so will be needing some new summer reads before very long at all. In the meantime, I thought I'd show you the books that have kept me company on my two trips so far this summer, to Ibiza and to Valencia.

Before I headed to Ibiza, I asked my Twitter followers:

Anyone got any good book recommendations? Want chick lit for easy beach reading :)

And they stepped up! With @SuburbanYogini telling me: try I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk. You'll love it. Read it on the plane to Aus!

And @mrsbossa saying: Chick lit ain't really my bag, but The Enchanted April is the loveliest holiday read EVER!

I could not have had two better recommendations, as I found myself lost in both books.

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How to... pack your toiletries bag for your hand baggage

As the cost of flights and add-ons continue to increase - what happened to return flights for £30? Including my checked-in bag?! - more and more of us try to avoid at least some of these costs but trying to fit everything for a fortnight away into a carry-on bag. Add to this, restrictions on the amount of liquids you can carry in your hand baggage and packing becomes even more problematic! So I decided to share my tips for packing your toiletries in this restricted world in which we travel:

• Invest in minis. Asda is my favourite place to head for mini toiletries as they offer any 4 for £3! You'll find shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, deodorants, face wash, and even dry shampoo.
• Be realistic about what you will use. Your daily beauty routine might involve cleansing and toning and moisturising and scrubbing and whatever else you do, but do you really need to keep this up while you're on holiday?
• Buy products that are multi-purpose. Even at home, I swear by face wipes but for holidays they provide the best multi-purpose product - they cleanse and tone and remove all forms of make-up - and best of all, aren't included in your liquids limit! Another multi-purpose product that I use whilst on holiday (and that I carry in my handbag too) is Nivea Soft which can be used for face, hands and body.
• Like face wipes, nail polish remover pads do the same job and yet aren't included in your liquids limit. If you're unsure which ones to get, I'd recommend these by Quickies.
• If you're travelling with friends, what products can you share? Maybe one person can bring shampoo and another conditioner and another still, shower gel?
• If all else fails, there aren't many holiday destinations where you wouldn't be able to buy anything you can't fit in.
• I would also suggest that you put everything into one of the regulation clear bags before you put it into your toiletries bag, so that it is easier to take out when you get to security.

Of course, it is not only toiletries which are included in your liquids limit but also your make-up:

• Minerals make-up is the obvious choice for travelling as they won't be included.
• If you don't want to buy additional make-up only for those occasions you travel, I try to decant foundation/tinted moisturiser into a small container for my holidays.
• I also look out for free gifts from my favouriet make-up brands (like Boots No 7) and keep the mini mascaras and lip glosses specifically for my hand baggage.

What are your top tips for carrying your toiletries in your hand baggage?

Holiday Essentials #2

You might have noticed from my recent holiday snaps that another of my holiday essentials are my denim cut-offs. They are so easy to wear and comfortable.

Here are my picks from around the internet, for whatever budget you might find yourself on:


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Holiday Essentials #1

My number one holiday essential has to be, these Havaiana fit sandals:

I have worn them literally non-stop since I got them in the post from Spartoo at the beginning of May. I wore them the whole time in Ibiza and again last weekend in Valencia. They combine the ease of flip flops and jelly sandals and are comfortable and practical all at the same time. All for £24 - can't be too bad?!

What is your holiday essential?

PS:

Have you entered my giveaway to win a fabulous pair of Oasis New Vintage earrings? If not, make sure you do so right away!! You can’t win, if you don’t enter!

AND, if you have already voted for me in the Filofax Facebook Blogger Style Off, thank you. If you haven’t voted for me yet, please do go and vote for me and will be forever grateful.

How to... pack a capsule wardrobe for your holidays

I already told you that I basically lived in my Gap vest, H&M denim cut-offs and Havaianas for the whole of the three days we were in Valencia, but did you believe me? Well, if not, here is the proof. Yes, it is a different colour Gap vest but it is pretty much the same one. This is how I pack a capsule wardrobe for my holidays!!

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Alright shortie!

Until a couple of years ago I resolutely refused to wear shorts. I think it had something to do with having always had to wear them on summer holidays as a child and feeling the need, as an adult, to rebel against that. Now, though, it is all I want to wear on my holidays. (Mothers really do know best, it would seem!)


This was basically what I lived in for three days in Valenica:

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Mani of the Week: Boots No 7 in Tangy

This week's mani is Boots No 7's Tangy. A gorgeously richly pigmented orange coral colour which is just perfect for the summer and against tanned and pale skins alike. The polish is opaque after one coat and two coats extend the life of the mani for a week. This polish has firmly earned its place in my summer make-up bag.

What colour is your mani this week?

PS:

Have you entered my giveaway to win a fabulous pair of Oasis New Vintage earrings? If not, make sure you do so right away!! You can’t win, if you don’t enter!

AND, if you have already voted for me in the Filofax Facebook Blogger Style Off, thank you. If you haven’t voted for me yet, please do go and vote for me and will be forever grateful.

Monday Morning Pic-Me-Up: Valencia photo diary

For my birthday, the boyf bought me flights to Valencia for three nights, for a lovely long weekend away in the Spanish city. Back at work today but still dreaming of the sun.

These are a few of the photos we he took:

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SALES SEASON: Best Bargain Buys for your beach holiday from H&M

On Thursday we sorted out your festival wardrobe and yesterday, your summer wedding outfit, today we give you the best bargain beach holiday buys from the H&M sale:

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How to... Dress on holiday in Ibiza

I know that when my girlfriends and I first booked our little sojourn to the party isle many of us had a little panic over what to pack and turned to the internet for assistance. Now that I have been, I thought I would add my own little bit of wisdom to the pile:

Girls on the beach by Cafe Mambo - photo taken by my friend.

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Ibiza: What's In My (Beach) Bag

I always love seeing other people's "What's In My Bag" posts and it's been a while since I did one (you can see my last one here). So I took the opportunity when packing for my recent weekend away to take some photos for this post:

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Friend Friday #42: Packing for vacation

Sunset over the sea off Ibiza

Now that summer is in full swing and vacations are coming up, this week we're going to talk about what to pack to take on vacation:

1.      When it comes to packing for vacation what’s your mantra?



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Monday Morning Pic-Me-Up

In case you missed it in amongst my various ramblings – last weekend I was in Ibiza to celebrate my birthday and to experience the opening parties at Café Mambo and Es Paradis! Both parties were on Friday (20 May) and so we headed to Café Mambo early to catch the sunset – which is said to be one of the most spectacular in the world. To add a little fun to the girls’ weekend I took my Polaroid camera with me and we all got a photo of the sun setting to remember the night. Truly beautiful.


It seems anyone who is anyone is heading off to Ibiza this summer to catch some rays and some music! Are you planning a trip to the party island?

Beauty Review: Nair Silky Sensations hair removal cream

With less than a week until I jet off to Ibiza with my girlfriends - to celebrate my birthday and my friend's birthday - I have given up the rather ambitious dream of a washboard stomach but thanks to the lovely people at Nair, I will be hair-free when I put my bikini on next week.

When getting beach ready: do you wax? Shave? Or use removal cream? Shaving is a pain. Waxing is a drain on my purse - and pretty painful too. Removal cream is cheap and pain-free. What's not to love? Really?


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BARGAIN OF THE DAY: Charlotte Ronson for Uniqlo nautical dress

Charlotte Ronson's collection for Uniqlo launched today featuring six styles for easy chic, including this nautical inspired dress which would work wonderfully on holiday:

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Holiday Inspiration: Footwear

Source



Next month I am heading to Ibiza for the weekend to celebrate my birthday. I cannot wait. A little sun, a little partying: what's not to love? But before I get there, I need to sort out a summer wardrobe, something which I have had very little need of here for nearly a year! So I decided to do a little internet browsing and see what I came up with by way of inspiration. Of course, footwear is always the very first thing I consider when packing is concerned:

Last summer I discovered wedges. I seriously do not know how I survived summers without wedges: they are easy to walk in and add a little glamour to any outfit. So in my internet search, I found these little beauties:

Having found these wedges by Ravel, I decided to check out the rest of their summer collection and found these sandals:

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Summer Lovin': party outfits

You will all hopefully have been enjoying the wonderful sunshine we have been experiencing here in the UK this Bank Holiday weekend. I spent much of yesterday sitting outside various coffee shops in Malvern and soaking up every last drop of sunlight. Such a wonderful and unexpected pleasure to be feeling so warm in April.

With the wonderful weather in mind, I decided to play dress-up and put together some fabulous outfits for some special summer soirées:

Coral chiffon frill dress; Floral chain toe post sandals; Floral canvas cross body bag; Embossed bangle set; and Natural trilby with corsage.

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Weather To Wear: Cardiff Wed. 20/04/2011

At a recent event in London I met the lovely Kate - the girl behind i am not a celebrity. A couple of week's ago when reading Kate's blog, I discovered a new project she's become involved with, Weather To Wear: London. This new site offers daily outfit suggestions based on the weather forecast in London - such a fabulous idea, I thought! So I decided to have a go at producing my own outfit suggestion for the weather in my home town of Cardiff for tomorrow:

With the sunny weather continuing this week in the Welsh capital, I chose:

A Miss Selfridge playsuit - the perfect piece that takes you straight from work-to-beer garden;

Miss Selfridge sandals;

A straw clutch from Warehouse - don't know about you but straw bags are completely all I want to carry in the warm weather;

And, of course, the obligatory pair of huge designer sunnies like these by Gucci.

What do you think of the site? And my attempt at a similar post? Hope you're all enjoying the sunny weather and not too cooped up in an office (like me!).

How to... pack for a mini break

Before heading off to Paris last October I posted about my approach to a capsule wardrobe. I did manage it – to a certain extent that time. This weekend I am off on a mini break to Glasgow for three nights – it was my present to the boyf for Christmas! Gvien that I am currently undertaking the 30 for 30 challenge, I have been thinking about a capsule wardrobe for my trip. This time the emphasis is on making as many outfits out of as a small a number of pieces of clothing as is possible which will thereby leave me enough room for extras, like straighteners and toiletries. This also ties in, of course, with the Friend Friday posts which discussed the idea of pre-planning outfits, so with this in mind, I have had a go at pre-planning the outfits for my weekend away:

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I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...

Is it just me, or are you over the cold and snow already too? As soon as summer goes I start to long for the cold and then the minute it arrives I start to dream of the sun and the sea… Well, Park Inn by Radisson might have just provided the answer to my winter blues: a competition with a prize to spend a week in one of their hotels. There are three choices of hotel and one of them is on the North African island of Djerba off the coast of Tunisia – the hotel is just minutes from the beach. As I sit here wrapped up in about ten layers that sounds mighty inviting!

For the past five winters that the boyf and I have been together we have gone away for a mini break (or longer, if so inclined!). From Madrid to Scotland to New York, everywhere we have been has always been FREEZING. I'm not sure why we have always felt the need to go somewhere even colder than home but we do. This year - as well as dreaming of a trip to the beach and to feel the warmth of the sun on my face - I am dreaming of a wintry trip to the Swedish capital of Stockholm. I want to see for myself the amazing street style (Stockholm Street Style blog) and I want to drink vodka in the Absolut Ice Bar. I would stay at the Radisson Blu hotel in the centre of town. And I would shop at the Swedish womens-wear store: Monki.

Of course, if you too want to enjoy the winter in somewhere other than home, the other two options are the northern city of Manchester – famed for its shopping and nightlife – or the German capital, Berlin – also famed for its nightlife, as well as having some good shopping and history to boot.

 

Entering couldn’t be easier, all you have to do is visit the competition site and play a hotel-themed version of that old game, Connect 4: “4 keys in a row”. Believe me, it’s not hard but if you do find yourself struggling, the good news is that you can enter the competition whether you win or lose!

Two winners weekly receive of an iPad and a £250 voucher (respectively) for Park Inn Hotels, which can be used at over 200 hotels in 16 countries (also valid in Radisson Blu and Hotel Missoni, and includes the UK), and can be used at the restaurant, bar, or simply on your room.

Each participant will also be entered into a final draw for one week's stay at Park Inn Manchester, Park Inn Berlin, or Park Inn Ulysse Resort (in Djerba, Tunisia) plus a £300 giftcard.

The competition is open to residents of the UK, Switzerland, Austria and Germany who are 18 years and over. The competition is open until 18 November 2010. See here for further terms and conditions.

Now, just off to dream of a White Christmas... Are you planning a winter break? If so, tell me about it? Where are you going? What will you be doing?


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