A Stylist’s Guide To…Holiday Packing

Nails, ’70 and sunny’ by Clinique, travel wallet by Etro

It’s often tricky packing for a weekend away with hand luggage only, especially when travelling on a budget airline. I do it quite often so am seasoned in the art of minibreak packing. I packed only the essentials for my recent trip to Spain for my hen weekend, here’s what I took…

 
My packing checklist: 

Pack This! notepad (I don’t pack without this nowadays), £4.76, Amazon

1. No plane journey is complete without some Percy Pigs from M&S.
2. I don’t travel without my zip wallets! I keep currency and receipts in one, then my passport and boarding card in another to find them easily in my bag.

Leather wallet, £27, The UK Edit

Leather wallet, £19, & Other Stories

3. I love soft cotton shorts to wear to bed. These cute printed ones are from Gap (buy similar here) and I usually mix and match my PJs with some classic cheap grey cotton tees from H&M.
4.I love my neon stripe bikini from Cos.
5. It wouldn’t be a hen weekend without some cheesy sunglasses!
6. Anya Hindmarch’s travel items are genius. This is my pink make-up bag. Matches also have a half price sale on some products here.
7. My bridesmaid who couldn’t make the hen gave me these cute bunny ears from Topshop to take with me. they have a great selection of cute hairbands.
8. I bought a new carry-on case that was lower than both Easyjet and Monarch’s regulations (just in case!). Debenhams has a great sale on luggage at the moment:

Suitcase with 5 year warranty, reduced from £105 to £49, Tripp at Debenhams

9. My actual sunglasses. I love this clear perspex style, from Internacionale

10. A copy of Red for the flight, it’s the Escapes issue, so felt it was relevant!
11. My reading book, ‘Rules of Civility’ is set in 1930s New York and has been recommended by a colleague (I always take recommendations).
12. My Anya ‘Lotions and Potions’ metallic pouch, from Anya’s ‘Labelled’ range.
13. Zip wallet, Etro.
14. My favourite sandals, Carven.
15. Our film to watch ‘I Give It A Year’ – the new Bridesmaids.

Almost packed!

I try to pack very minimally…2 pairs of shoes MAXIMUM for a weekend (one for the day and one for night). My hand luggage doubles up as my beachbag, and I allow myself one bag for the evening.

I actually have a box under my bed with all the ‘minis’ I need for a trip away, and also includes a spare toothbrush so I can pack early without forgetting the essentials. I use a lot of Liz Earle mini bottles (they often send you free mini samples when you order online and I save these up). I am also that terrible person who brings home mini shampoos from posh hotels I visit for work. So when I travel to a small B&B or campsite, I have some gorgeous minis that make me feel glam.

My quick fix beauty treatment was my nails. I used ‘Trinidad’ navy blue from Mavala’s Chilli and Spice collection on my toenails – it is really glossy and glides on easily, and then used Clinique’s ’70 and sunny’ bright yellow on my nails – it looks great with a tan.

I overheard the beauty team saying if you put a white on your nails first, it makes your colour stand out more. I used Rococo nail’s ‘Superbase’and then Rimmel’s top coat.