The Holiday Series: #1 A truly necessary holiday haul

In 2 days' time I'm heading off for my first family holiday in a couple of years. Naturally, going on holiday means buying lots of things I don't need. I've grabbed a couple of Hawaiian Tropic products to ensure I "smell like holiday". Ja feel?

The little pink thing is of course a tiny little floss dispenser! I'm taking that on the plane incase I get plane food stuck in my teeth... totally normal!

I also grabbed 2 small hair products from Charles Worthington to protect my hair from sun damage. I haven't tried these but since I've joined the blonde crowd I'd rather be safe than bald at the moment.

I've got a couple more posts lined up for this Holiday Series - next up is my 2014 hand luggage / carry-on beauty essentials. Before I've finished packing my bags up let me know in the comments if there's anything I should remember!

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Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Aussie hair care. I had a particularly bad experience with a shampoo & conditioner combo which left me with absolutely rank hair that didn't clear for 3 days (and a total of nine washes...ick.) However, this leave-in conditioning spray is different. It allows me to de-tangle my hair when it's damp or dry and it smells like magic and rainbows with a hint of unicorn sparkle. Not really but it's super sweet and doesn't leave any residue on the hair when used correctly.

I tend to use this once or twice a day depending on whether I washed my hair on the day or the night before, but usually it's a couple of sprays across my hair in the morning before I style and a couple of sprays before bed whilst I brush it.

I haven't tried many of the other products in the range so I don't know if there's a good combination of products to use together.

I haven't noticed anything negative after starting to use this spray so I'm pleased to say that I'm back to liking Aussie hair care!

This retails for between £3.00 and £5.00 depending on where you purchase yours.

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Tangle Angel - Heaven Sent Hair

Created by Richard Ward the Tangle Angel aims to gently detangle hair leaving it smooth and manageable. It claims to be anti-bacterial, anti-static and heat resistant whilst maintaining an "elegant" design. Mine is a pearlescent pink shade with contrasting matte pink bristles.

Personally, I think it's cute - it makes me feel like a real life My Little Pony which is great. I don't think I'd whack it out of my bag and wave it around at anyone but I don't mind standing it up on my dressing table because it actually looks cute with its little wings and shimmery pinkness.

Although it may not look like it, the bristles are all the same length. They follow the contour of the brush so some reach a different height but this shouldn't affect the performance of the brush. I quite like this because the bristles aren't too long meaning there's no harsh contact with my scalp while I brush my hair.

As you can see it does cover quite a large surface area when gliding down the hair. You can hold it either by the handle or around the winged back for better control.

In these photos I've used it on dry hair but I also use it to brush my hair mask or conditioner through from the mid sections to the ends as well. Bearing in mind that hair has much more elasticity when wet and is much more prone to snapping or being pulled to far I find this brush is perfect to use while I'm letting my hair dry naturally or with heat because there's no unpleasant tugging. It's easy to rinse clean if there's any product stuck between the bristles and I haven't noticed any adverse effects when I've used it whilst washing my hair.

I haven't encountered any static or unwanted flyaways whilst using this brush. I like it for what it does for my hair but I do feel it might be aimed at a slightly younger target audience than my own but it's cool - I live in dreamland most of the time anyway so I'm working this My Little Pony-esque hairbrush all day err'day.

You can buy your own Tangle Angel here (click!) for £14.99. It comes in 3 colours, Pearl White, Gorgeous Pink and Double Black.

My 2013 Aeroplane Necessities

As I'm typing this I'm impatiently tapping my feet waiting to leave for the airport hotel later this evening but hopefully as you're reading this I'll have landed back home in the UK after a week in the best place in the whole world : DISNEY WORLD! In order to get to Florida I have to go on a plane which lead me to think of last year's aeroplane favourites which you can read here (click!). However a lot can change in a year so I've updated it with my favourites from the last few months.

So, these are pretty self-explanatory (but a blog post needs a few accompanying words anyway!) ; hairbrush, hair bands and bobby pins are all to keep my hair off my face for the flight. I think I'll be opting for the messy bun because it's the quickest to fix if it needs re-doing. Toothbrush and gum are to make sure I don't have a mouth like Ghandi's flip-flop as my friend Aimee would say. I have a travel sized tube of toothpaste somewhere too! Lipbalm, moisturiser and body lotion are all to keep my skin hydrated. I'll use the body moisturiser on my hands for an intensive treatment rather than to moisturise my legs, I'm not sure how the rest of the cabin would feel if I dropped trou and asked for a leg rub!! Deodorant is pretty obvious.. no-one likes a smelly passenger.

Here are some very blurry individual photos with the details :

Superdrug Soft Touch Hair Grips (I can't find these exact hair grips but there's a similar product here) and Metal Free Hair Bands (and here), Denman D3 Strawberry Shortcake hairbrush (exact here), novelty Hello Kitty nail file.

Dermalogica Active Moist moisturiser (here), Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Intensive Body Moisturiser (here) & Dove Maximum Protection deodorant (here).

The only one I've missed out is the Nivea Lip Butter but there's a full review here (click!) and you can buy it here (click!)

This year I won't be taking any make-up on the plane with me. Sorry Virgin Atlantic, I've got my ugly face on for the next 9 hours!

It's a bit late for me to pack your favourites but tell me what they are in the comments!