Going on holiday is an exciting thing to do, whether it's with family, your partner, friends or even on your own. But, the one thing that stresses me out is packing. Even though I've been on many holidays, I always take far too much, despite writing up a list of what I'll need. But hey, I'm pretty sure most people will take about 5 pairs of shoes even though they are going for a 4 day holiday, just incase an occasion arises to wear a specific pair.

I'm currently on holiday so I've been through the whole 'What do I want to take with me'. Not only did I have to think about the clothes I'll be taking, but also my makeup and skincare for the week. Luckily, I'm only within the UK so I'm not restricted in what I can take, like liquids, aerosols etc. but I still wanted to be as reasonable as possible. I'm not looking at wearing makeup everyday but just wanted to take some items with me so if I'm going out for dinner or a trip out, I can atleast look alive, it won't too heavy on my skin and doesn't take forever to do. I've taken some skincare pieces also, as it's important that I still look after my skin, regardless if I wear any makeup or not.


Because my skin hasn't been too bad lately, I've not been messing with the skincare products that I've been using, as I'm worried something may flare it up, so what I'm not actually taking too much. So, coming with me is:

• Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water: I've been loving this again recently. I used it ages ago, stopped and now I use it every time I want to get the makeup off my face. You don't need to use too much water to get rid your makeup, so this is a big thumbs up from me.
• Clinique Moisture Surge: I've had this for so long and I still love it. If my skin is feeling on the dry side, I only have to take a small amount and spread it over my face and it'll instantly feel so moisturised. It comes in a small pot so it's really handy to take with you on holiday.
• Pixi Glow Tonic: I've reviewed this product on my blog before and I was saying how much I loved this. I still do, which is why it's part of my travel essentials. I usually use this after I've used the Micellar Water just to fully cleanse my skin. This has been such a saviour and something that I've used where I've seen a noticeable difference.
• Superdrug Pure Cotton Wool Pads: I'll be using these with my Micellar Water and Pixi Glow Tonic. Pretty standard cotton pads, which you can get from drugstores or supermarkets. These are the ones I had lying around and it doesn't appear that I have many left but I can get some whilst I'm on holiday if I do run out.
• Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes: I used to use these before I used Micellar Water, and used them again when I stopped. Even though I'll mainly use the water, it doesn't harm to take some wipes just incase. Sometimes they are good to get rid of some stubborn makeup.
• Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb Tissue Mask: I love these! These tissues are incredible. Whenever they are on offer in Boots at 99p a go, I tend to buy a handful because they are that good. Similar to the Moisture Surge, this is good to help moisturise my skin but I use it more of a pamper session, so I can sit back and relax for 15 minutes whilst it does it's thing. My skin just feels so refreshed once I peel it off so it's something I'll try and do once or twice whilst I'm away.

• MAC Prep + Prime Primer: I used to use the Babyskin before I was gifted this for Christmas. I've been using it the last few times I wore makeup and I feel that this helped my makeup stick to my skin slightly better. It has a SPF 50 rating so incase it's a tad sunny, this will keep my skin sun-safe.
• NARS Sheer Glow Foundation: As you probably know by now, this is my regular foundation so it's no surprise that this is mentioned in this post. This foundation is lightweight, so it's perfect that it won't be heavy on my skin.
• Collection Last Perfection Concealer: Again, the pretty regular concealer that I use all the time. This lasts a long time and can cover my blemishes and darkness under my eyes really well. I'm slowly running out so may need to locate more whilst I'm away.
• Rommel London Stay Matte Powder: I've mentioned this in previous posts but this powder just does what it needs. It's lightweight and doesn't make your makeup look cakey.
• Makeup Revolution Blush Palette: This palette is so pretty and very spring like so I thought it would be a great product to come along. I've only really used one colour but it's good to have variation.
• NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray: Once the base has been complete, I would apply my favourite setting spray from NYX. I prefer the Matte finish over the Dewy because I don't really want to look that shiny.
• For the base, I have some of my Real Techniques brushes and complexion sponge to put it all together. My good ol' trusty tools, which need a good clean (oops).

A few weeks ago, Barry M released a lip kit, something that many companies have been doing as it's a product that has grown in popularity recently. I was a massive fan of Barry M when I was younger, and even now, I have an extensive collection of their nail varnishes. When I was in Superdrug one day, I happened to see that they released a lip kit. I've been on the hunt for a drugstore lip kit for a while, as I don't think I can justify buying a Kylie one due to price and customs fees, so I was very happy to see one available. I've been trying to get the Makeup Revolution lip kits for a while, but they've constantly been out of stock everytime I went into a Superdrug.

I saw that Barry M had three colours to choose from: Pose, which is light pink, Go To which is a nude and Runway, which is a berry colour. I was instantly drawn to Runway and after doing the swatch, I knew it was the one for me. This kit, which includes a 'lip paint' and matching liner, was priced at £6.99, which is an absolute bargain. The packaging is reletively simple. The box is the same colour as the lip paint and liner, and has the usual information on the back. But, let's get to the important bit, how it applies.


I didn't own any lip pencils prior to this Barry M purchase, they're just not something I would use; however, as I've read more and more posts of people talking about the pros of lip liners, I became increasingly interested each time. I kept seeing lip kits whenever I would go shopping, and I thought they would be the perfect product to get me into lip liners. When I applied this the first time, it glided and applied so nicely. I would have assumed it would be a bit chalky or would drag but this wasn't the case.


Moving onto the lipstick. At first, the lip paint colour appears to be a little lighter when you first apply it however, once it's completely dry, it becomes darker, more like the lip liner colour. It applied with such ease and the product is quite thin, which is actually a good thing. It drys quickly, still has a good amount of colour and feels light and comfortable once it's dry on the lips. No heavy, cracked feelings over here! Obviously, with most liquid lipsticks, they aren't going to last you forever and you find yourself having to top it up once in a while during your day (or night) and this is no exception. Although it did stick around for a little while, once I had a tea, it did start to wear off a bit, mainly in the centre and corners of my lips, so I wasn't surprised to see that happen.


Overall, I am extremely happy with this product and I'm so glad that I found it. It's such a good dupe to higher priced lip kits, such as Kylie Cosmetics, for a much cheaper price. Although I probably won't go out an buy the other two lip kits, because I don't think the colours will suit me, Barry M do have singles of other colours, so I'm probably going to have a snoop at those some point in the future. Well done Barry M, you've succeeded in producing a good liquid lipstick.

Do you own this lip kit? What are your thoughts on it? Do you own any other ones?

Look after yourself,


This blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own and honest!