I spend an ungodly amount of my life testing products, playing with textures and colour, and sniffing out what’s new and effective in beauty, so it will come as no surprise that by nature, I am pretty appalling at packing for holidays. It’s never a question of what to take, but of what to leave behind. I’ve had to train myself to pack only products that justify a place in my luggage. That means versatile makeup that looks pretty but feels weightless in heat, hair products that shield me from frizz-inducing humidity, and suncare that protects my family’s skin without feeling greasy and inciting tantrums from children desperate to escape it.
These 25 are the pool from which I draw, but I certainly don’t expect anyone to buy everything in any one category. Each serves more as a list of products that I believe offer great results and convenience on a trip. It’s a question of taking your pick. I’ve also taken a closer look at four beauty staples for summer (facial sunblocks, bronzers, facial sprays and perfume) and chosen my favourites.
Of course, your chosen holiday may mean a break from everything, including beauty. If you are looking forward to a couple of weeks of bare face, unstyled hair and total relaxation, then there’s a great deal to recommend that and all power to you – skip everything except sun protection and revel in a back-to-basics existence. But if you’d merely like to simplify your routine and pare down your products and look, any of these will make a worthy travel companion.
Beach holiday
1 Dove Hair Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner £1.97
If you want to keep your hair off your face in hot weather, do it with an intensive conditioner. I don’t buy the idea that they sink deep into the hair shaft, but they do protect hair from becoming dry and sunbaked, keep it sleeked back, and make it feel lovely after rinsing. This is one of my favourites – perfect for the job and dirt cheap.
2 Skinceuticals Mineral Radiance UV Defense SPF50 £30
A makeup base on the beach feels slightly gross, but this tinted sunblock gives sheer, oil‑free coverage to pale to medium-dark complexions on its own (there’s a colourless version for any skin tone). The mineral formula makes it ideal for even sensitive skins and it lasts extremely well without wearing off or streaking. Blend generously over face and neck 20 minutes before hitting the beach.
3 Lancôme Hypnôse Star Waterproof Mascara £22.50
Lancôme is renowned for its mascaras, but this, I think, is the jewel in its crown. It gives a dense, black, buildable intensity (one coat looks pretty and natural, three coats constitutes a dramatic evening look) and is properly waterproof – I say this as someone who manages to smudge almost any mascara. The best I’ve tried in a very long time.
4 Beautybay The Collection Detangling Brush £5
The perfect way to detangle hair after swimming or washing. Unlike other detanglers, it has a handle so it doesn’t fall from wet palms, and the lack of a separate cushion for bristles means there’s nowhere for sand to get trapped – just sluice it in water to remove any debris. Thoroughly detangles adult and child’s hair without any snags or wailing.
5 Toni & Guy Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray £7.49
There is no point in blowdrying and perfectly styling hair for beach holidays, but this is great for evenings and requires scarcely any effort. Spray into dry hair (having previously rinsed out any conditioner) from the roots to the tips, then rake your fingers through it, shaking them out as you go. Gives plenty of texture, with no greasiness and a sort of deliberate mess that looks rather lovely.
6 Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Body Butter Exotic Coconut £5
I don’t believe in expensive after-sun – all you need is lashings of rich moisture and a hit of aloe to calm and cool the skin. This has both and is my favourite, not only because it’s cheap, but because to me, the scent of all Hawaiian Tropic suncare sums up holidays like no other smell. Warm, coconutty, rich and evocative. Delicious.
7 Daniel Sandler Watercolour Crème Rouge Blusher £15.50
If you want to take only one item of colour makeup away, this is a solid choice. Based on Sandler’s award-winning Liquid Blush, this new cream formula has waterproof pigments to stop fade and slide in hot climates and swimming pools. The colours are universally flattering and give a very soft, pretty tint, but if you’re prone to hot flashes or flushed cheeks, avoid the pinks and stick with peach. There are also two bronzers in the same formula.
8 Aromatherapy Associates Intensive Skin Treatment Oil £39.39
I’m a huge believer in massaging in facial oil at night-time, and it’s especially beneficial on holiday, when skin and one generally has more time to engage in a proper skincare routineis likely to be parched from the sun. Among my favourites are those by Sunday Riley, Decléor, Clarins, Balance Me and Trilogy, but this is what I’m using at the moment. It’s extremely moisturising, calming and makes me look visibly better by morning.
Travelling
9 Ole Henriksen Truth To Go Wipes £6
I rarely recommend wipes, but I will reluctantly accept that on flights, camping holidays or long car journeys, they are helpful. These are the best of the bunch by far, making a decent job of makeup removal without stripping or stinging the skin. They’re still no long-term substitute for a proper cleanse with a balm and flannel.
10 Muji Airport Pouch £3.95, and empty bottles and jars from 95p
There are much cheaper travel toiletries containers (some for as little as £1 a set), and I’ve bought far too many of them. They either leak, can’t be washed properly or end up not meeting airport requirements (how hard is it, for goodness sake?). These, though pricier, just work. Good quality, and in versatile shapes for every conceivable product type. Worth the money.
11 Percy & Reed Beauty Bag £29
A water-resistant, wipe-clean bag (best checked in) for packing all your holiday beauty and toiletry products. It has a useful heat-resistant pocket for recently used straighteners or tongs, and separate compartments to store hair, medical, skin and makeup supplies. It’s surprisingly capacious – even I can fit everything in here, and that’s saying something.
12 Travalo £10.60
Perfume is an annoying, smashable and bulky thing to pack. I get around the problem with this ingenious pocket sized, airline-approved atomiser. Simply press it down on any spray bottle of perfume to fill with easily enough scent for a three week holiday. It’s sturdy and with a clear window to monitor how much is left, and is as equally useful when home for carrying in your handbag.
13 Vaseline Derma Beauty Spray Compressed Anti‑Perspirant £1.86
I’m extremely picky about deodorants. They must work in hot weather, of course. They should not leave horrible white marks on my clothes when I get dressed, be easy to wash off (many stick dryly and stubbornly to the skin)and crucially, smell nice (men, use ours – you won’t go back). This one does all of that, plus it’s condensed so is small enough for airport security. A kindness to your fellow passengers.
City break
14 Mac Lady Danger Lipstick £15.50
Yes, it is terribly predictable of me to include a red lipstick but I promise there’s good reason. When luggage space is tight and you can’t be bothered to slap on a full face, no product will more simply lift your holiday look from lazy day to evening out. This very bright, orangey‑red is my current favourite but I could have easily said Kate Moss for Rimmel in 01, Nars Jungle Red or Bobbi Brown Red Carpet. I do find matte works best against a shinier, nude complexion, though.
15 Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser £3.55
If, like me, you need body cream after showering but find it sticky and uncomfortable in humid weather, this is the answer. Simply wash with your regular gel, cream or soap first, then slather over this before rinsing away. It leaves behind a non-sticky, lovely smelling residue that keep skin moist and comfortable all day.
16 James Read Wash-Off Tan £18.50
I’ve no idea why people go through the hassle of fake tan when wash-off colour is now so good. This is my favourite by some distance. It doesn’t transfer to clothes or sheets and can withstand humidity, light rain showers and sweating. It looks extremely natural (think gold rather than orange) but can be built up in layers for a darker tan. It also feels moist on the skin, leaving it with a lovely sheen. Make sure you skip the body lotion though – it makes any wash-off tan streak. The huge bottle lasts for at least a summer, if not two.
17 Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess Shadow Quad £38
Everything you need to create a dressy, summery day or evening eye look is here. The textures are perfect, the colours equally good on pale, tanned or dark skin. The super-slim palette has no pointless applicators and is ideal for scaling down your makeup bag for holiday.
18 L’Oréal Hair Expertise EverSleek Smoothing Anti-Frizz Serum £4
It’s extremely difficult to find a cheapish chemist brand defrizzer that isn’t jammed with silicones (they make fine hair flat and weigh down curly and afro hair over time), so this is something of a rarity. It’s great for locking out city humidity and for smoothing frizz without making hair lank and greasy looking. One pump on (damp) fine hair and three or four on thick hair is about right.
19 Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm £32
I will scrimp on many things in the name of a lazy holiday, but cleansing isn’t one of them. I happen to love this one right now, but any good cleansing balm will do (see previous columns on cleanser for heaps of ideas). What’s most important is that you massage it thoroughly into dry skin to remove makeup, sunscreen, sweat and city grime, then buff off with a hand-hot flannel. Repeat in the morning with a fresh flannel.
Family holiday
20 Nivea Kids Pocket Size Sunblock £5.50
During summer, everyone should have one of these in their pocket or handbag. The handy tube means you’re never caught out when the sun appears: if you make a long detour via the beach, park or pub garden just whip it out and massage in quickly for high, durable protection. There’s an adult version, too, but this is fine for the whole family. I am never without it.
21 Daniel Galvin DG Organics Kids Top to Toe 3 in 1 £3.99
I recently took this on holiday to Cornwall and it served as shampoo, conditioner and shower gel for both my children and me, for a week, and we still came back with plenty. It’s a summery-smelling multipurpose wash that doesn’t dry-out skin, effectively untangles hair and washes out sand, sweat and dirt (there’s also an anti-chlorine/chloride swim version, if you fancy). Great stuff.
22 Ultrasun SPF30 Family Ultra Sensitive Sun Cream £19
A fantastic, high-protection lotion that can be used by all the family without irritation. Even my niece, who breaks out in itchy hives when using other sunscreens, can wear this without a hitch. It’s water resistant, easy to rub in and gentle enough to be used on the face. If I could pack only one sunscreen, it would always be this one.
23 La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 £5.19
A very good, multipurpose balm for soothing insect bites, sunburn, chapping, grazes, cuts and any skin soreness. The little tube is easy to pack and carry. Just a little of the creamy balm dabbed on even the most sensitive skins gives instant comfort and some relief.
24 Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser SPF30 £28
I can barely be bothered with makeup on family holidays, but I find this is just enough to make me feel presentable. It gives a beautiful, moist glow with neither shine nor grease, and has an unusually high SPF for an non-suncare product. Just massage into the face, blending with fingertips. The colour range is excellent and covers most skin tones. I wear Groenland.
25 Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil £21.50
Hair colour can fade badly in sunlight, especially red tones. This spray-on sunscreen, full of natural oils, is the only one I’ve tried that doesn’t make hair feel like straw afterwards. It certainly helps protect the scalp and keeps colour vibrant. I also use it on my fair‑skinned, fine-haired children, who annoyingly, are prone to throwing off their sunhats when I’m not looking.
• Best holiday beauty buys: facial sunblock
• Best holiday beauty buys: bronzers
• Best holiday beauty buys: facial sprays
• Best holiday beauty buys: perfume
