What's in my Overnight Beauty Bag?

My boyfriend and I recently went away for the evening, nowhere far, just out for a nice meal then stayed over in a hotel.  He's in the Army and is currently on leave, and since we don't get very much time together, we thought it'd be nice just to have a little alone time, with just us and no interruptions.

The bag itself came with a No7 Christmas gift set a  good few years ago now, but it is one of my favourite toiletries bags, and trust me, I have a few! I love the colour, and the pattern inside, and also the two sections inside are clear so you can see exactly where everything is.

As I had to work the day we were due to go, a hair wash when we arrived was essential! I used my mini Organix shampoo and conditioner, which I'm a big fan of.  I like how they're a bit bigger than the usual travel size shampoos you get, so they last much longer. The spray bottle you can see contains some of my Amargan protect and shine spray, and I finished off my hair with my Lee Stafford Argan Oil serum. For shower gel I opted for The Body Shop's Satsuma body wash.  This stuff smells amazing! The scent really lingers in the bathroom afterwards too.  I also took the accompanying body butter in Jolly Orange

For skincare, I took my trusty L'Oreal Micellar Water. I didn't bother decanting this into anything smaller as although the bottle is quite large, it's a pretty compact shape. It also tones which is one less thing to take. The miniature Benefit face wash is pretty much empty, and the moisturiser now contains my usual No7 day cream. I was a bit naughty and didn't take any night cream. I had nothing to decant my usual one into, so decided that for one night, I'd just use the day cream again.

I based the makeup on my five minute face look I blogged about not too long ago, but added a few bits to make it more of an evening look.  The Benefit primer is a relatively new purchase, and I'm still making my mind up as to what I think of it. I changed the foundation to my Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua, as it's more of a compact size for travelling.  I usually prefer a bit more coverage for an evening, but with the primer it was fine.  I kept cheeks and lips the same, but took a few extra bits to define my eyes, including my Benefit Brow-Zings palette.  For eye shadow I used my Soap and Glory palette in 'What's Nude' which is a really handy size for travelling, and lined my eyes with a Maybelline felt tip liner.  I also took my mini They're Real mascara by Benefit.  Lastly the nail varnish you see is from Accessorize and is called Amethyst.  This was already on my toes and just took it to go over any chips as I was wearing sandals, which is a bit lazy but we've all done it I'm sure...!

It does seem a lot to take for just the one night, but I really don't know how I could condense it further.  This little lot could probably last for a longer trip too, but like everyone else, the longer the trip, the more makeup I pack!

My Current Haircare Routine

I'm actually pretty fickle when it comes to my haircare routine; I normally buy a different shampoo each time I run out, and I'm forever trying out different serums, sprays and the like.  I probably only wash my hair twice a week, three at most. Not much I know, but if I'm not leaving the house I often skip hair washing as it seems poitnless, and my hair's under a sexy hat at work anyway so it's not as if anyone will see.I can easily get three days out of my hair without it looking overly greasy and I think that, in conjunction with these products has made me love my hair again.

Until about two months ago I had dyed red hair.  I loved it, but the upkeep was too much like hard work.  Saying that, my hairdresser did recommend using a sulphate-free shampoo to help slow down the fading process which did help a fair bit.  Even now my hair is dyed back to pretty much my natural colour, I still opt to use a sulphate-free shampoo.  The one I'm using at the moment is from Organix, and is part of their Argan oil range.  We all know that Argan oil is very good for our hair, so having this in a shampoo and conditioner that would be kind to my coloured hair can only be a good thing. My hair definitely feels stronger and in better condition after using these. Organix claim that all their shampoos are free of sulphates and parabens which gives anyone wanting to try a sulphate-free shampoo plenty to choose from.  I'm tempted to try another one next time, just not sure which as yet!

The next product is a bit of a new addition and something I picked up completely on a whim.  While I have a lot of hair, it can be quite fine and often falls flat after blow volumising shampoos as they're not great for coloured hair, and instead opt to use a spray or cream to give my hair a bit of life.  While having a look inside my local beauty supply store, I came across this blowdry potion by brand called Osmo.  It's not really described as a volumising product, instead it claims to thicken and hold all hair styles. Intrigued, I decided to give it a go. I find it gives my hair just enough lift to stop it sticking to my head, and holds any curls or waves I may make with my GHDs.  It also smells amazing!

For heat protection I use Amargan Hair Therapy Shine and Protect Spray which I picked up from the same place as the blow dry potion mentioned above.  My hairdresser used it on my hair a few months ago and I instantly fell in love. It can be used to protect hair from heat damage from straightening and curling, but also protects against UV damage. It can also be used on dry hair to define curls and add shine. I prefer to use it on wet hair as applying too much to dry hair can make my hair a little greasy looking.  I find you don't have to be quite so careful when my hair's still wet so using it this way prevents any hair disasters!

For the most part, I'll at least leave my hair to dry naturally until it's about 90% dry. If I'm washing my hair before bed however, or if I'm going out, I use my trusty Remmington Pearl Hairdryer which I've had for a few years now.  I'm sure they're better hairdryers on the market now but this one does a pretty good job anyway so I'm more than happy with it.  I love how the concentrator nozzle is nice and thing, ensuring a sleek finish if that's the look I'm going for.  More often than not though, I don't bother with this, I'm not even sure where it is at the moment to be honest! I'll usually just blast my hair, alternating between the heat settings, maybe doing a bit of sectioning depending on time.  I'll then turn to my GHD's which were a Christmas present last year.  I still have my old ones which are over eight years old now, but they're definitely on their last legs so I've demoted them to my back up pair! I'm not a fan of the overly straightened, sleek look for day to day, so I just tend to do this very loosely, maybe adding a bit of a wave depending on time.

Then I'll use my Lee Stafford hair oil which I reviewed here.  I'm still on the same bottle as you hardly need any at all, especially if using it on dry hair like I tend to do.  I find it adds a nice shine to my hair and helps define any waves I may have made.   I'll sometimes use hairspray if my style requires a bit of hold and the one I have at the moment is one by Elnett.  While it gives good hold and isn't sticky, I'm not a huge fan of the smell. I'd rather have one that is frangranced as opposed to having that generic hairspray smell.   However as I don't use it that often, and this bottle is huge, I think I'm stuck with it for a while yet!

The only other item I use on my hair on a regular basis is dry shampoo.  My one of choice at the moment is Batiste's Dark and Deep Brown.  I swore by the red version of this when I had red hair, and when I went back to brown, I naturally switched to this.  The red was great to disguise my roots, and while now I don't need to hide my roots as my hair is pretty much my natural colour, Dark and Deep really helps to cut down on the grayish tinge most dry shampoos leave on your hair.

So that's pretty much all I use on my hair. You may have noticed I don't use any hair masks, or deep conditioners.  I've used a couple in the past but I'm yet to find one I'm a huge fan of.  If you have any to recommend, please do so in the comments!