I have a million blog posts swirling around my head at the moment, but life is conspiring against me and preventing me from spending any quality time with my laptop. Not only has Jesse suddenly decided he no longer feels like staying in bed of an evening, my husband managed to throw himself out of our attic and down the stairs a few days ago, cracking a rib in the process. You know when you’re just having one of those weeks? Yea, THAT.

While I sort my way through the hundreds of photos we took on our honeymoon {read: delete all the ones I look like a minger in}, I thought I’d share a few of the things I loved most while we were away…

1.  No. 7 Skin Illuminator in Peach

I was first introduced to the No.7 Skin Illuminator by the Makeup Artist Lucy Baker who I have been working closely with on a beauty series for Love My Dress. Lucy applied this as part of our flawless face tutorial and, as I admired my makeup after the shoot, I fell in love with the natural, healthy glow it gave my skin. So, the next time Boots were dishing out their notorious £5 off No.7 vouchers, I snapped it up.

I have to admit, the packaging is lousy, but I can forgive the useless applicator in light of the gorgeous sheen it imparts on my skin. Not only does this now have a firm position in my daily makeup routine, I also loved adding a generous amount to my body lotion while we were away. For evenings out it looked fabulous against my lightly tanned skin.

2. MAC lipstick in Hibiscus {LE}

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t waste your time on a product you can no longer buy, but as I wore this lipstick almost non-stop while we were away, I felt to omit it from this list would be wrong. Hibiscus was released as part of the Surf Baby collection last year and, truth be told, I don’t even remember buying it. I’d certainly forgotten I owned it until I went rummaging through my lipstick collection a few weeks ago.

Anyway, I dusted Hibiscus off, swiped the bullet over my lips, and immediately wondered how I could have left such a pretty shade untouched for so long. It’s a bright, medium-dark red-coral with soft gold shimmer. Here it is on my lips…
Pretty, noh? That chap next me ‘aint too bad either 😉

3. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Flirt

In an unusual display of self-restraint, this sheer, coral lippy was the only duty free purchase I made on our trip. I love the moisturising formulation of the Coco Shine lipsticks, and this shade has immediately become the summer alternative to my beloved Fetiche. Despite the lack of sunshine in the UK of late, I’ve worn this almost every day since our return, and predict it will be my most worn lip product this summer.

3. Bright Nail Polish ~ {Left-Right} Chanel Nouvelle Vague {LE}, Barry M Flamingo Pink, Chanel Holiday {LE}, Essie Cute as a Button.

Despite how much I love painting my nails, and the fact I have managed to amass a rather large collection of polish, I rarely find time for a proper manicure. Any holiday provides ample opportunity for primping and preening, but one without children meant I had a seemingly endless amount of time with which I could indulge my passion for pampering.

We kicked off most evenings with a lengthy ‘getting ready’ session in our hotel room, accompanied by Singha beer and the wackiest looking Thai snacks we could find in the local 7/11. I relished the chance to give myself a manicure while wrapped in a huge, fluffy bath towel {the like of which are only found in posh hotels} and sprawled out on our huge bed in front of whatever trash was showing on E! Entertainment.

I switched my polish every few days and these were the shades I went for. The standout colour has to be Chanel’s latest offering, Holiday, a bright medium-dark orange with a cream finish. Not only did this look wonderful against my tanned skin, the polish remained chip free for days.

4. A’Kin Lavender, Geranium and Jojoba Hand, Nail and Cuticle Cream* and CND Solar Oil.

Any good manicure needs a heavenly hand cream and a great nail oil.  I also like to apply such things throughout any long haul flight, so these two items made it into my hand luggage.

I fell in love with CND Solar Oil in the run up to our January wedding. A few weeks before the big day I suddenly realised I’d managed to overlook the condition of my hands  in a big, BIG way. Luckily, some wise beauty bloggers on twitter recommended this, and I would credit it with sorting my neglected nails out just in time for their moment in the spotlight. Not only did it remedy the dry cracked skin around my nails and massively improve their overall condition, it smells like bakewell tart. What’s not to love?

The Australian brand A’Kin is not one I’d heard of before but, as the dinky tube sent to me for review was just the right size to comply with all those complicated rules for carrying liquids on planes, this tube made its way straight into my handbag. Luckily, it turned out to be fabulous and I have deemed it more than worthy of a repurchase once this tube is done.

The A’Kin range is suitable for vegans and formulated without parabens, sulfates, silicones, mineral oils and a whole host of other nasties. The hand cream sinks in incredibly quickly and leaves my hands with a deep softness. The slightly herbal scent may not be for everyone but, as it will probably always remind me of my honeymoon, I’m rather fond of it.

5. LUSH Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner

So, a few days into the holiday, I had a little accident involving the sun and, er… a slight lack of suncream. I honestly have no idea how my skin ended up as red as my favourite lipstick, but it did. It was my first experience of sunburn in around a decade and, at first, I was totally at a loss as to how I should treat my poor skin.

Thankfully, I remembered I’d packed a small pot of the luxurious Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner from LUSH. The list of hydrating ingredients and the abundance of rose oil {well known for it’s soothing properties and ability to reduce redness and inflammation} seemed perfect.

This product has a rich, gel-like texture and is intended for use after cleansing with your usual soap or body wash. I slathered it on in the shower and was impressed by how comfortable my skin felt afterwards. In fact, the silky soft feel and the healthy glow that developed once the sunburn had faded has left me hooked.

Although I followed up with LUSH’s Dream Cream while I was treating my sunburn, in day-to-day life I find this skin conditioner eliminates the need for moisturiser. I love its heady floral aroma too. While it is among LUSH’s more expensive products, in my opinion it’s money well spent.

What do you adore right now? Are you in love with any of these products too?

Loveaudrey xxx

*PR Sample