Tried & Tested
A recent find, Natura Bissé from Barcelona. I travelled on a recent long haul flight with 3 travel sized products from the brand, their C+C Vitamin Body Cream, Vitamin Splash and Vitamin Face Cream.
The citrus and Mediterranean fragranced mist offers a refreshing and hydrating spritz, formulated as a restorative concentrated energizer, rich in vitamins, that delivers instant relaxation and wellbeing. The perfect travel spritz, and smells delicious for when you’re in need of a pick me up at the end of a 13 hour flight.
A rich, creamy body lotion with soft citrus notes that leaves a lovely trail of freshness and vitality. Aiding repair and protection against any harmful aggressors. My skin felt smooth and hydrated and the perfectly sized 30ml travel sized bottle slipped right into my zip lock bag in my handbag. The perfect inflight moisturiser to prevent my tan from fading on my way home. For further info click here.
Long haul flights. No you can’t afford First Class, but you still want to be comfortable. Prior to my 2 long haul flights to and from Vietnam recently, I looked for a few light weight carry-on accessories to aid my comfort. A neck pillow, great idea but they take up so much room. Not this one, it’s inflatable, and the most comfortable padded jersey eye mask stayed put for 10 of the 13 hours of my return journey. The jersey holding pouch kept everything, including the earplugs all safe and compact in my handbag, and at just £7.95 you can’t go wrong. Click here to purchase.
After a long search i’ve found my perfect charger for travelling. The Groov-e solar bank charger travelled with me to Vietnam recently because I needed a solar powered unit when I knew for days at a time I wouldn’t be close to a power source. With the ability to charge 2 USB devises at the same time, I wasn’t let down with this device.
Self charging time via USB 6-7 hours, self charging time via Sun 35 hours, device charging time 1.5-2 hours. The Groov-e Solar Bank is available from Amazon for £33.19. With thanks to Napthine Porter Ltd for the devise.
What is the first thing you do when you get on a long haul flight? Take your shoes off? Me too. Instead of those dreadful inflight socks, and not wanting to ruin your cashmere specials, these Beauty Feet socks have an incorporated heel in the sock which cares and nourishes your heels by just wearing them.
The heel pad assists the sebaceous gland, sweat glands and skin to revive hard, dry and rough heels. The pad contains a patented nourishing formula that contains advanced softening and moisturising ingredients together with a guarded Chinese herbals recipe. Available from The Sock Shop.
My most recent find in the world of wireless speakers are these handsome Stelle Audio Pillars. At around £250, you can bluetooth your iPhone or iPad to the device with just the press of a button. Charge it up to 100% and it’ll last days. There’s a USB port at the base so you can charge your phone or other device at the same time. I
t’s not the lightest speaker but I have to say it’s still been around with world with me in my suitcase because the sound (and base) is incredible. It’s about the size and weight of a 2L Cola bottle, so best left at home, but this slick design means you don’t need to hide it in the corner of your room… Head to the Stelle site in the link above for more info.
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Globe-Trotter is a modern heritage brand established in 1897. Founded by David Nelken in Saxony Germany, the company moved to the UK in 1932 where it has remained ever since. Just a few minutes in their new Arbemarle Street Flagship will have you swooning for your very own custom design. I never travel without one. From a week away at New York Design Week, (I use this Cruise 30″ extra deep case at £1,235) or a hotel review in Europe (I’ll tend to use a 21″ trolley case at £995 great for BA not for Easyjet) or in between sizes a 28″ Trolley will suit you fine for a 3 night trip.
Follow the hashtag #GlobetrotterTravels to see where I and other users take their cases.
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This Smythson Eliot Large Tote bag (£1395) goes everywhere with me. When I was first loaned it, I thought it was just too pretty to use, and after I was invited to keep it, well it was total love. One of the best weekend bags I challenge you to beat.
Inside? Panama Cosmetics Case (£145) , Currency Wallet (£170), Passport Cover (£115) & Luggage Tag (£55).
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One thing I had been on the hunt for is a fab portable speaker. Whether at home or in a hotel room I needed something stylish with excellent sound quality. No matter how grand or stylish a hotel can be, more often than not you’re unable to connect your own music to a speaker in the bedrooms.
Raneiri Communications sent me the Libratone Zipp Portable Speaker (£369) which connects to any iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac/PC and Android device. Wrapped in a zip-on cover (the speaker comes with 2 colours), wireless capabilities and a 360° sound experience. With a built-in rechargeable battery, you have hours of sound before you need to re-charge the device.
www.raniericommunications.com / www.libratone.com
If you’re looking for a more compact speaker to pop in your weekend bag, try this Adin Dancer 3.
At £17.99 not only is this speaker lightweight, the 3.5m audio jack and micro USB connection allows you plenty of wireless speaker time before it needs re-charging. Just place on any hard surface for the inbuilt sound transducer to kick in. Available to purchase here.
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LWSY Tried & Tested Beauty Essentials
Having recently returned from Marrakech, I had the opportunity to try out a whole world of new beauty products. My edit below lists what made the final cut.
This compact 150ml all round moisturiser by Lavera is a steal at around £6.95. Even kept in my beach bag during the searing heat of the day, this is an indispensable cream.
Colbert MD Heal & Soothe has developed a cult following. At approx £120 (from Space NK) I was sent this cream understanding I would be in and out of some extreme heat in Marrakech. Although I started to use this product a week or so before I left, my skin does feel more hydrated than ever before. The key ingredients calm your skin overnight and its properties aim to reverse any environmental damage your skin may be exposed to throughout the day. Yes it’s expensive, but it’ll last months.
At around £40 for this Italian made Aethic Sôvée SPF25 suncream I was intrigued to see how my skin would react as someone who tans very quickly. The powerful organic moisturisers and antioxidants safeguard your skin from any harmful rays and it is the world’s first Marine Positive sunscreen.
I absolutely adored these two Institut Esthederm sunscreens. Initially put off from using them over the first few days because we couldn’t see what the SPF was, once I had googled the brand, I wish we’d started with the Adaptasun from day 1. Adaptasun tanning products aim to stimulate, enhance and intensify your tan. You end up with velvety soft skin too. The face cream (around £40) has been specifically formulated for those exposed to extreme sun.
Another new brand I tried out, glo therapeutics. The most wonderful day face cream that I’ve used daily since I got back from my trip. At around £30, think hydration and sun protection. Aimed to prevent skin damage and excessive melanin production. Jojoba Oil conditions the skin and controls oil. There are some anti-aging peptides included to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, if you’re worried about that sort of thing. An everyday essential, suitable for all skin types. All glo-minerals products can be purchased here.
I want to show you this 3-in-1 Colour Stick (colour Dollface), at £11.95 is the perfect all-you-need piece of kit when on holiday. Glo therapeutics have made this clever little stick that glides onto your skin in one easy swipe.
Now you know how they say never go on holiday without some emergency tummy tablets. Well Optibac probiotics have you covered. These supplements contains 4 high quality strains of live cultures, all proven to survive to reach the gut alive, and to survive in warmer, more humid climates. Perfect for Marrakech then. They’ll be staying in my travel kit then.
Thank you to Kilpatrick PR, The Ideas Network, Optibac Probiotics, and SV PR.
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Magic Mirror
The Magic Mirror portable mirror can be folded into three different positions so you can get ready anywhere. After travelling with me to Marrakech and Wilderness Festival this summer, my mirror has now been loaned to my friend at Burning Man in the Nevada Desert. The perfect portable mirror, it can be hung on the back of a door, and you have an instant full-length mirror, or folded into a pyramid for you to use on a table. With an acrylic mirror version for festivals, this mirror has found a permanent home in my suitcase. From £35.00 available to purchase here. _______________________________________________________
The Overboard Zoom Case camera case transformed my camera into an underwater camera this summer.
With simple grip switches that slide apart and lock, the case can be taken as deep at 6m underwater. Perfect for water-based snaps or sandy beaches, this waterproof camera case features a clever zoom-lens housing, so you can get really creative with your high-spec camera without worrying about damaging it. From £24.49 available to buy online here.
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The June bracelet by Netatmo is the world’s first wearable bracelet that monitors sun exposure and advises women on how to protect their skin from the effects of the sun. Clever stuff. The bracelet tracks UV intensity in real-time and the total sun exposure absorbed by the user’s skin throughout the day. Depending on the woman’s skin type it then calculates via a mobile app the suggested maximum daily exposure. To avoid sun damage, the app then notifies you when to protect your skin. From 95€ available to purchase online here.
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LWSY
If you have a product you would like for me to feature please contact Katharine at White&Richardson.