What holiday blog post would be complete without a list of the essential things one requires on an Island Holiday. Here are 10 things that you ought to make sure go into your suitcase and 10 of the most useful beauty products to pack.
1) Bikinis
If there’s only one thing you remember let it be your bikinis (or your boardies if you’re a boy). Pack more than one as a) there is nothing more boring than wearing the same tired bikini uniform day after day, b) Biknis get wet and c) alternating bikinis alternates tan lines (I packed 4 and would have packed more if my online purchases were more organised) and be sure to splurge on something pretty that makes you feel glamorous and sophisticated. Check online to see if your bikini has matching accessories (scarves and throw-over dresses) as it makes beach chic delightfully effortless.
This was my favorite bikini frm my holiday. It is called “Paradise Island” and is available here from Aubade. The Sunglasses are the white Mui Mui’s that you have until Friday to win – enter here.
2) Sunglasses
Sunglasses are so crucial to most of our daily lives that you may think me silly including it in my essential holiday ingredient list. Sunglasses are crucial for protecting your eyes and completing an outfit. It is important to pack more than one pair of sunglasses so that they are able to suit your different moods, different bikinis and different styles. Alternating one’s sunglasses also prevents a distinct sunglasses tan-line as the protected area is constantly shifting.
Ray Ban T-Bar Avaitors. One of four of the amazing pairs of sunglasses sponsored to me by Sunglass Hut. The other gorgeous pairs were:
Black Samuel Ferragamos… available this summer from Sunglass Hut. . . bikini by Kulu.
Patterned Ferragamos, also available from Sunglass Hut this summer. “Sunshine Coast” bikini available from Aubade.
And then there are the white Miu Mius which you can either buy this summer from Sunglass Hut OR you can win by entering this fabulous competition before Friday.
3) Camera
Crucial for capturing the wonderful holiday memories you will create one ought to pack a small, compact “point and click” camera that can be tossed into your beach bag. This particular model was a gift from Robert Miller and has been loved and appreciated over the course of my travels.
4) Kindle
Small, neat and light, Amazon’s Kindle has a screen featuring E-Ink Technology and no backlight making it the perfect beach accessory. Able to hold hundreds of books, journals and publications it allows you to flip from book to book to Time Magazine, keeps track of your place while you are reading and allows you to highlight and call up a dictionary on any word that escapes your knowledge. It’s matte screen kills glare and it has serious street cred.
5) I-pod
Music on the beach is awesome, and most modern hotel rooms have an i-pod dock. Don’t leave your musical fate up to others, take your i-pod everywhere you go. The new Nano also shoots video… which is very handy indeed!
6) A book and a Pen
This might sound silly, but lying on that lounger, soaking up those rays you ill finally have the time to write that poem, make that list and scribble those notes. The feeling of a pen scratching into acid free paper simply cannot be beaten. My Favorite “throw-away” pen is the Pilot G-tech 4.
7) A Sun Hat
Take the shade everywhere you go… a sun hat protects our face and our hair from sun damage. It is also a fun accessory. This Panama hat from Fabiani goes with almost everything!
Sunscreen
Nobody wants leathery turtle skin in ten years time and nobody wants to be burnt to a crisp in the first few days of vacation. Sunscreen is essential and re-applying all day is boring. Riemann P20 is a unique Alchohol based sunscreen that you apply once a day and then leaves you free to swim and frolick without concern. If it works for someone as fair as I, it will work for you. For those of you living in South Africa: you can buy it locally at Clicks.
9)Little Dresses to throw over your bikini
10) Make-Up Bag/Vanity case
What outfit is complete without make-up? What lifestyle is complete without beauty products?
Here are a list of the 10 items I make sure are in my vanity case on an island holiday:
1) MAC Face and Body Foundation – water based and powder free this foundation is sheer and buildable, looks like you’re wearing nothing and is water resistant (no smears from swimming).
2) LipStains – There are a variety of good ones out there, I love Benefit’s Benetint, but any lipstain that you love will come in handy on an island vacation.
3) Waterproof Mascara - Again, the one that works for you is the one to take with you. I like Chanel’s “Inimitable” waterproof mascara.
4) Waterproof eye-liner – PMU’s Aqua Black is amazing – most black liners fade to grey or vlue over the course of the day but this one stays blackest black. MAC’s Aqua liners are also great for a splash of colour.
5) Waterproof Eye Make-up Remover - Don’t forget that one! Again, go with what works for you. I like Decleor’s Cleanse Off Oil or MAC’s Gently Off Eye and Lip remover.
6) Eyebrow Pencils - Some people like to use eyeshadow to do their brows as the effect is softer, but for a beach holiday where you’re bound to sweat you’re going to want the staying power of an eyebrow pencil. Most eye-brow pencils contain wax which makes them sweat and water resistent. I am a fan of MAC’s eyebrow pencil in Lingering for brunettes and Fling for blondes – they are both very subtle. If you are very very dark you may want to try MAC’s eyebrow pencil in Strut.
7) Alcohol Free Perfume - Most major fragrances have summer variances. Go out and choose one you like the smell of. Failing to do so and suntanning with an alchohol based perfume will lead to odor distortions and possibly pigmentation.
Sun Protection for your hair – I’ve already mentioned sunscreen on my unisex suitcase list, but what many people forget about is sun protection for their hair. Whether your hair is coloured or natural the sun and sea and chlorine present in most pools will damage it. I like Kerestase Gelee Aqua-Proof.
9) Bronzer – Again, here I favor Chanel, but any one that you like will work. At the start of the holiday it helps to hide how fair your skin is, and if you’re wise and choose not to tan your face it helps to make your face blend in with the rest of your body.
10) Moisturizer – The comfort food of skin don’t forget this one at home! All that sun and sand and sea can take its toll on your skin, and if you’re going somewhere really warm the air-con in your suite is bound to dry out your skin. If you don’t yet have a moisturizer that works for you e-mail me to get some advice or visit your nearest Chanel/Dermalogica/Decleor/Clarins counter.
So that concludes Lady Kaye’s list of holiday essentials. If there’s something you feel I forgot, comment below and make your suggestions. xx
#1 by Norman Conquest on August 4, 2010 - 12:04 pm
Looks like you had a great holiday Sam, but you’ve listed around R20,000 worth of kit here. I know style isn’t cheap but I think that may be beyond your average South African holidaymaker
#2 by Samantha Laura Kaye on August 7, 2010 - 8:57 am
I hear your concerns, however I am not trying to make a list of budget holiday survival essentials, I am making a recommended list aimed to help one holiday in style. Items like the Amazon Kindle or the i-pod may cost a couple of thousand rand, but they are items I expect most of my readers to already have/be saving for as they are lifestyle pieces one needs on holiday and at home. Furthermore, island holidays are expensive, and whilst one might not choose a vacation as expensive as a five star resort like Le Touessrok (because if you can afford Le Touessrok you can afford an i-pod and a kindle) , one can take the same adaptive stance one has adopted to the location and apply it to the list, replace the kindle with hardcover books, which whilst less stylish perform the same function (almost), and simply weigh more and take up more space.