After being back on English soil a mere twenty four hours and 100% riddled with the holiday blues, I thought I'd share what my friends & family call my "pedantic packing" & holiday perparation with you.
So once you're toned, honed & bikini ready, waxed & de-fuzzed, painted, polished, sprayed & pampered within an inch of your life its time to start looking at what you need to pack in order to ensure a relaxing and stress free trip, wether it be for business or pleasure.
I always like to start at the very beginning - In Flight Essentials. Once I've boarded a plane for what will be at least two hours I'll remove all make-up and general grime with Clarins Cleansing Milk (the small 50ml bottle is perfect for flights) with a couple of cotton pads. I'll then apply SkinCeuticals B5 Gel under Prescriptives Super Flight Cream. Optrex Brightening Drops rehydrate post-flight-peepers and I adore the This Works Travel Kit with 8 skin-saving goodies including my most essential in-flight must have, Breathe In which combats nasty in-flight germs. Alongside the beauty stuff I make sure I have my camera, iPod, a selection of books & magazines and a purse full of pennies for a bottle of champagne - whats better than relaxing with no mobile phone or distractions than kicking back with a glass of bubbles a mile high in the sky?
On the beach I'm never without an embarassingly low factor tanning oil, shame on me, but I do adore a tan! I'm always concious to apply plenty to prevent burning but nothing says holidays like being oiled up in a coconut scented Hawaiian Tropic haze. I understand some ladies with fairer skins & more cancer-conciousness than myself prefer a higher factor & the brilliance of La Roche Posay Anthelios Cream in SPF 20, 40 or 50 is constantly being raved about as it offers the highest UBA (the one to cause premature ageing) and UVB (the one to cause burns) protection available. On my face, I do use a higher factor, usually from the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream range with SkinCeuticals Serum 10 applied underneath which prevents ageing and stimulates repair. My lips are protected by Yves Saint Laurent SPF 10 Baume D'Ete Tinted and Matrix Biolage Protective Hair Oil protects my locks from salt, chlorine and the sun.
I have a Smythson travel notebook I always use to make a list of what I need to pack, which I can tick off as I lay the items out on my bed. Not only does the scoring lines give great satisfaction but it comes in very useful when packing to come home, I then tick off the items in a different colour. I always write my clothing lists in day-by-day format so nothing is left behind, and try to condense as much as possible, eg "Do I really need seven pairs of black shoes/sixteen bikinis". If I have time, I wrap each garment in tissue paper. Ever wondered why shop assistants do this? Clothes only crease if they come into contact with sharp edges - like those of your suitcase. Wrapping up the items prevents wrinkles & creases, but be warned that this will add at least an hour onto the task in hand!
Always pack your shoes first and fill any holes along the bottom of the case with socks, lingere and swimwear. Lay a few sheets of bubble wrap or tissue paper over this then place the legs of your trousers together and lay them down so that the top and hem drape outover the edge of your case. Layer your tops, dresses and any other delicate silk or chiffon items folded perfectly in tissue to the top of the case. I find it easiest to use my washbag as a "core" and fold all of the other items around it before filling any further gaps with more hoisery and lingere or left over bubble wrap. Remember - with no sharp edges or places to move, your clothes will remian at the other end in tact.
Thats the hard work done ladies, have a well earned Mojito and enjoy your break!
Rachel x
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