Marrakech packing ~ toiletries

The days are finally into single figures before we leave for Marrakech & today, as I look outside my window at the snow falling, I could not be more excited to be heading for the sun & warmth!!

My many, many lists are now coming into their own as I know exactly what to pack, what to wear & what's left to buy & the case is out of the cupboard waiting to be filled!

I picked up the last of my toiletries last week so I though I'd share what I'll be taking.  Warning - there may be a few of these 'packing' posts coming up in the next few days - sorry!! ;) 

I'm not overly fond of sun creams as I always find them a bit too gunky, I prefer sprays & have used the Ambre Solaire spray for a few years now.  I picked this up in Asda at the start of the year for about £3 when they were having a clearance, it's currently £12.99 in Superdrug but there's a BOGOF deal.

I bought an SPF30 Solait face cream (£3.99) which I haven't used before but it says it's non-greasy so here's hoping it'll be fine & doesn't break me out!  As it was BOGOF, I also picked up the Solait aftersun (£4.99) with tan prolonger, which sounds like it works in the same way as a gradual tanning cream.  I'll take the whole bottle as the 4 of us can all share this.

My other toiletries are mini versions, which I don't usually buy as I have empty bottles which I decant products into but a lot of these were bought at Christmas when they were on clearance shelves!  The only product I'll decant into a pot is my Curl Cream by Trevor Sorbie but the mini bottle of Frizz Ease I picked up for 99p is ideal! 

In the end I decided to get new contact lenses rather than take prescription sunglasses so I don't have to carry my normal glasses around with me all day to use when we're inside.  I can just stick on a pair of sunnies & be done with it!  These lenses (in the black box, top right) are the new Vitrea range by Specsavers & offer a slow-release moisturiser so are very comfortable to wear & I'd imagine will be much better in the heat.  I'll just need to take 4 or 5 pairs with me rather than the whole box.

So these are my toiletries sorted, I now have to whittle down my makeup & choose my nail colours!

Makeup essentials for Marrakech

Makeup for Marrakech by fortytherapy 


So, as promised, here's what I intend to take in my (small!) makeup bag to Marrakech.  I'm only going for 4 days, it'll (hopefully) be hot & we intend to do lots of walking about & sightseeing so plastering my face in makeup will not be high on my agenda!  I'll only need the bare minimum of products & these few tried, tested & loved beauties will do the trick quite nicely thank you.

1. Cath Kidston cosmetic bag 
Pretty self-explanatory, a decent sized makeup bag in a wipeable oil-cloth.  Large enough to pack everything into but small enough to not take up too much room.

2.  Ambre Solaire Lip protector spf 20
I won't bother wearing coloured lipstick in the daytime but I know from past experience that sunburnt lips are not nice so I'll slick some of this on to protect them.

3.  Ambre solaire BB cream spf 30
Now this is the only thing on this list that I haven't tried yet so I'll get some & try it before I go to make sure my skin doesn't react to it.  This offers a good spf & being a BB cream aswell, it'll offer some colour to my face so as not to frighten the locals too much!!

4.  Bourjois BB bronzing cream
I bought this for the first time last year as soon as it was released & got through 2 bottles during summer alone! It's great on it's own to give a lovely sunkissed (not tangoed!) look but I also mix it with my foundation when my skin gets tanned so I don't have to buy darker ones!  I'll pop a few pumps of this into a little travel-sized pot so I don't have to take the whole bottle - a little goes a looong way!

5.  Sleek blusher in Sahara
I bought this beauty the other day & so far, am loving it.  It's so pigmented that a little goes a long way but offers a beautiful warm glow to your cheeks.  Ideal for when your face has a hint of a tan.  The only downside to taking this is that I'll have to also take a blusher brush.....

6.  Real Techniques blusher brush
Another fabulous offering from RT, the only blusher brush I use now.  I'm looking forward though to seeing what the new travel sized brushes are like when they get released as a smaller brush would be handier for travelling.

7.  L'Oréal False Lash Telescopic mascara
This, my friends, is my HG mascara & the one I go back time & time again.  L'Oréal have really nailed perfect mascaras & this is my favourite of the bunch.  I will tint my lashes before I go away though as I don't like wearing waterproof mascaras & don't want to resemble Alice Cooper when I use the pool!

8.  Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeshadow pencil in Tempting Turquoise
I've blogged about this Rimmel eyeshadow pencil before here & although I don't often wear it, it'll be perfect for a splash of colour.  It's the perfect formula too being waterproof as it won't disappear in the heat.

9.  Rimmel Scandaleyes kohl in Bronze
Bronze colours really make my green eyes stand out so this'll also be a good addition for nighttime looks.  Again, it's waterproof formula means it won't slide down my face if it's hot!

10.  Revlon lip butter in Candy Apple
Yet another product I've already blogged about & although it was nearly a year ago, I'm still as in love with this lip butter as ever!  It's the perfect bright colour that'll go with the tiny amount of clothes I intend taking & the moisturising formula is spot on!

11.  Boots No7 BB lip balm
First off, why is in not possible to clip items to Polyvore from the Boots website, it drives me mental?!  It took me 15 minutes of faffing around online to manage to get it on there......I digress.....
I bought one of these when Boots were handing out their £3 off vouchers.  It's a great nude colour, lasts well, isn't at all sticky, is hydrating & offers spf 15 - a makeup essential for me from now on!

12.  Elizabeth Arden Eight-Hour cream
Most people I know have a tube of this & I've been using it for around 12 years now.  I tend to buy the smaller sized tubes & always keep one in my bag.  It's a fabulous intensive lip balm & hydrates cuticles like nothing else.  I also sometimes add the merest slick to the tops of my cheekbones for that glowy/healthy-skinned effect!  Again, I'll pop some into a wee pot to save on space.

So there we have it, my minimal makeup essentials I'll be taking away with me.  I will of course do another post with my essential toiletries too!  If you want to click on the picture, it should take you to my Polyvore page where you'll find the links for the products.

Now, is there anything I've missed?!