In-Flight Travel Essentials

As I will be jetting off on holiday in a couple of days I thought I would share with you some of my travel essentials for my carry-on bag :-) Travelling is something I get very excited and passionate about as I love to explore new cultures and cities so expect to see more travel pictures and posts in the near future! 

Aside from the obvious travel essentials such as your purse, phone, passport I think my number one must-have item is a really good pair of headphones. As a nervous traveller they help to block out any noises that the plane makes and music also keeps me distracted and helps me to relax. This rose gold pair is from Frends. 

I also like to pick up a magazine at the airport to flick through to keep me entertained and distracted :-) You could also bring a miniature notebook and pen to doodle or play games such as noughts and crosses with a family member or friend! 

Some beauty essentials I like to bring with me are a concealer (this BareMinerals one is super brightening!), a lip balm (this EOS mint balm is great at saving dry lips and smells super fresh) and a miniature perfume to spritz on at the end of the flight. You can find these in a duty free shop at the airport or sometimes you can purchase them on the plane. My favourite is Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh.  

Tissues always come in handy whether you need to dispose of chewing gum, accidently spill something or get the sneezes mid-flight they are a must! 

Lastly, for longer haul flights I suggest an eye mask to get some sleep in. It will help you fall asleep and can block out the tiniest of lights for those passengers who may want to keep their light on during a night-time flight. I personally love a silky one as it is super comfortable and soft against the skin :-) 

Tip: For those of you have jewellery you wear daily a mini pouch is great to pop into your bag so that when you go through security or are asked to remove any jewellery it will not get scratched or lost in your bag!

What are your travel essentials?

Sarah Marie x

Frank Body Coffee Scrub: First Impression

A coffee scrub has been on my list of beauty bits to purchase for over a year now and the brand that I had heard most about was Frank Body. They have a great presence on Instagram with a huge fan base and their brand image seems very playful, girly and quirky so I decided to check them out :-) First off I was very impressed with the selection of scrubs available not only just for your body but their range extends to products for your lips and face. Secondly was the easy access I had to the products to the UK considering they are an Australian based brand - the price of the products are extremely affordable (£12.95) and there is free shipping what more could you ask for!? I decided to opt the Cacao Coffee Scrub and once I clicked the purchase button it arrived within three short days. 

As soon as the cute little package arrived I tore off the top (which is re-sealable woo!) and was submerged into a heavenly smell of chocolatey coffee. Now, I don't know if you have ever smelt ground coffee but it is amazing and when that is mixed with a chocolate twist you are in heaven. It is just like a mocha smelling body product. 

As I was super eager to test it out I had an early shower that evening and after reading the instructions took a small scoop of product into the shower with me. Top tip: Do not take the package in it is made from brown paper and will go very soggy! I would say it was a little annoying having to carry it in my hands as some of the little granules fell out and I also had to stand in the shower without getting the product wet at first but it was worth it. 

The main area that I wanted to focus on was my back so I took a good amount from my hand and started massaging it into my back. It was a lot coarser than I had expected but it felt like it was really doing a good job at removing any dead skin I had. Then after I had completed that section I took the remaining coffee granules and scrubbed them all over my body. I would say that this definitely would not be a daily product for me as I have fairly sensitive skin but it would be nice to use two or maybe three times a week :-) 

Once I had finished I showered off the remaining granules and that was when I realised how messy the whole process was as the granules became stuck to the bottom of my shower and were not going down the drain. However, once I was out I was able to clean them up fairly easily with a wipe. 

As soon as I got out the shower I had to see how soft my skin was and my shoulder area/top of the back felt the smoothest that it had in a long time. As for the rest of my body I wouldn't say it felt crazy different but I did use one less scoop than the recommended amount so I will have to try that next time! I finished off by putting some Lush Vanilla Dee Lite all over my body and the next day my skin felt just as smooth!

Overall I would have to say that I absolutely adore this product because hey a little mess never hurt anyone ;-) 

I will continue using this product for the next couple of months and will let you know how I get on with it in and how well the product lasts me! Have you used a Frank Body Scrub before or any other coffee scrub? :-)

Hope you have a lovely Sunday!

Sarah Marie x 

April: Collective Haul

I have been in a little bit of a spendy mood recently and accumulated a couple of items that I have absolutely fallen in love!

The first is this jacket which I absolutely adore! I don't know if anybody remembers but there was a jacket very similar last summer in Topshop that every fashion blogger owned (for good reason!) and I was delighted when I found this gem in H&M. It is nice to have something in a different colour from black to freshen up an outfit and the faux suede adds a lovely texture!

Na-kd is a brand that I discovered recently who are based in Sweden and have a whole range of clothing including their own and other brands. Their own line is super affordable with very cute underwear and they have free international shipping and returns - bonus! This underwear set fits true to size and is extremely comfortable :-)

A couple of days ago, I was putting my make-up on to discover that my foundation had nearly run out (boo)so I had to quickly run into House of Fraser to pick up another of the Nars Sheer Glow. I have the shade Stromboli and have an olive skin tone :-) It is my holy grail foundation and I can see myself using it for many years to come. 

Whilst in House of Fraser I noticed that Korres had a buy one get one free offer on their shower gels. My sister had recently purchased Santorini which smelt divine so I was interested in seeing what the others were like. Water Lily Blossom is their most recent addition and is basically spring in a bottle! They are £8 each or if you can get your hands on the 2 for 1 offer go and get one now!

Another spring scent I have picked up is Victoria Secret's Pink Wild & Breezy Body Spray. I picked up the travel size as I am going on holiday soon and it will be perfect for me to take the beach or just pop in my bag so I can freshen up when I am out and about :-)

P.S. Sorry for the lack of blog posts recently I have been really busy with uni work! 

Sarah Marie x