Budget Beauty Summer Essentials

Summer is less than three months away and I don't know about you but I am nowhere near prepared for any of the trips I have planned. Last night I made a concious effort to sit down and make a note of all the day-to-day essentials I need to replace and then found myself on eBay searching for a bargain or two; eBay is so addictive isn't it? As we will all most likely be on a similar shopping mission, let me share what I have found, all of which is £6 and under.

1, I can't be the only person who gets into such a flap about going through airport security? I'm constantly panicking that they will not have a plastic bag for me to pop my in-flight cosmetics in and that I won't be able to take them on-board with me. Ridiculous I know and totally avoidable if I just planned ahead, and y'know packed my own clear bag ready for inspection - which is exactly what I intend on doing this year. I found a pack of five re-usable, transparent, air line regulated cosmetic bags for just £2.95. Are they the prettiest bag I own? No but they do have a zip and will the walk through airport security that little easier. You can find them here - link.

2, I'm not a huge fan of in-flight beauty routines, I will quickly slap on a little moisturiser, eye-cream, hand-cream and if it is a day time flight a little SPF and call it a day. I like to sleep and maybe watch a film or two - the beauty products can wait. If you are looking for a great, budget and travel friendly eye-cream, may I recommend Mizon Collagen Power Eye Cream - a gentle yet firming and nourishing eye cream that will comfort and protect the eye area. Easily one of the best under £5 (it's £3.74 per tube) beauty products I have stumbled upon, get yours here - link.

3, Every in-flight and vacation ready handbag needs a handcream and what could be cuter than one of the Etude House Missing You Handcreams? Six chubby animal shaped, nourishing and beautiful scented varieties to choose from and a snip at only £2.65 each. When handcream is this cute, you'll want to apply it as often as you can. You can find all six Etude House Missing You Handcreams here - link.

4, I don't live anywhere near an Ikea and as I only want the dinky colourful travel bottles, it does seem a little silly to plan a journey for one thing. Luckily I found the Ikea multi-coloured travel bottles on eBay for just £3.15 for all four - perfect for downsizing haircare and skincare products. You can find them here - link.

5, If you are on a day time flight be sure to apply sunscreen to your face, hands and other exposed areas as believe it or not you will still be affected by UV rays when aboard an aeroplane. I suggest packing a moisturising, high factor SPF such as The Face Shop Oil Control SPF35. Don't let the name put you off, this is a nourishing yet non-greasy formulation that is ideal for all skin types and especially great for acne prone complexions. The 50ml bottle is also a great size to stash in your handbag for emergencies, grab your bottle here for £5.67  - link.

6, Just like everyone I know I am on the look out for rose gold sunglasses, I really didn't think eBay would provide a solution and yet I found no less than three pairs. The above photo really doesn't serve the rose gold winged sunglasses all that much justice, but trust me at just £3.20 a pair it is a risk you want to take. You can grab a pair here and see more true to life photos too - link.

If you have an urge for some designer sunglasses, I would recommend checking out SmartBuyGlasses, the service is great and the shipping is super speedy!

7, Weirdly when away from home I tend to gravitate towards a fully transparent make-up bag; I like to see at a glance what I have packed and not have to empty out my bag each and every time, I want a different product. I found a fairly pretty solution to my packing woes for just 99p on eBay and bought a few different shades to share with my family - at less than £1 it seemed rude not to. You can grab a clear travel bag here - link, in my opinion every suitcase should contain least one.

Budget Beauty Summer Essentials

8, Flights and sunshine can leave even the oiliest of complexions feeling tight and dried out, forget heavy and dare I say greasy skin moisturisers and grab a bottle of Mizon Hyaluronic Ultra Subbon Cream. As the name suggests this is indeed a Hyaluronic Acid based moisturiser that will quickly and effectively re-hydrate the skin. You can find it here for just £3.99 -link and read my full review here - link.

9, For those like myself who can not leave home without a bottle or two of fragrance, you need to purchase a few travel perfume atomisers. At just £1.99 each you can afford to decant a good few of your favourite scents and maybe, just maybe bypass the temptation of duty free. Who am I kidding, duty free is one of the best parts of travelling but until then you can find the travel atomisers here for just £1.99 each - link.

I hope some of the above come in handy, needless to say I have ordered everything and will share snaps and reviews in the coming weeks.