We took these photos on a recent trip to Normandy, France.  At the time I had no intention in using them for a blog post but I just loved seeing Mickey's smiley face I couldn't resist sharing them!  Please do ignore my moody face though, I actually wasn't feeling very well!

This beach at Barneville-Carteret has featured on my blog a few times (check out these posts for past outfits captured here).  This time we visited at the end of September, on the whole the weather was still lovely and sunny, but a hint of Autumn was starting to come through in the chilly coastal breeze.  Jeans, this light weight Mickey Mouse jumper from Primark and my trusty Zara coat from a few seasons ago were all I needed to keep warm!  I love how light -hearted this jumper is, I think I like wearing it so much as it's the only 'novalty' item of clothing I have in my wardrobe!

For me, visiting Malta always just takes place as part of a day trip.  When I visit the islands I stay on the smaller sister Island of Gozo, my first love of the Mediterranean islands.  I still love Malta and always come away thinking I should spend more than just one day a year there!

This summer we decided to give our favourite locations of Sliema, St Julian's and Mdina a miss for the chance to visit some new places (for us) on the main island of Malta.  After getting off the ferry at Cirkewwa we drove to the 5,500 year old temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, taking just a quick detour to the stunning Dingli Cliffs to catch a glimpse of the uninhabited island of Filfla.  My beloved Gozo is actually home to some of the most intact of Malta's Megalthic Temples, which are all older the Pyramids in Egypt and Britains Stonehenge, however the stunning coastal location and visitor centre attached to the temples in Malta makes these well worth a visit!

Ready for lunch we left the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples desperate to get out of the hot sun.  We have always photographed the three cities of Vittoriosa (Birgu), Senglea and Cospicua from the Valletta side of the Grand Harbour (at the beautiful Upper Barrakka Gardens - a must to visit).  There has been a lot of regeneration in these ancient Maritime cities, so instead of our usual pitstop at the Valletta Waterfront we decided to give the Birgu Waterfront a go for lunch.  I'd really recommend the waterfront's Tate restaurant.  Putting the wonderful yacht views aside, it has a large and varied menu, the food was great with generous portions - but the surprise for me was that the whole menu was vegetarian!  Malta does cater well for vegetarians in general, but  it's quite rare to stumble across a purely vegetarian restaurant!  Yep, I was beyond pleased with this find.

Before leaving Birgu we made a quick stop off at the Inquisitor's Palace, one of the few worldwide to survive both the passing of time and revolts against the Catholic church in the centuries past.  The history on Malta is incredible and with everything from decorative original features, a prison complex and torture chamber, the Inquisitor's Palace certainly has plenty of the history the island is renowned for!

You can't spend time on Malta without visiting the famous and beautiful fortified capital city of Valletta.  We called inside the city walls for a spot of shopping, for a wonder wound to catch up on all the restorations that have taken place in the last year or so, but also just to grab a coffee or two!  I love that Valletta is compact enough to walk round leisurely in an afternoon - if that's all the time you have.  I'm simply happy aimlessly wondering the grid system of streets, enjoying the amazing architecture of the palazzos, churches, palaces, and even the backstreets are quite wonderful - filled with a myriad of my favourite colourful balconies.  However if you happen to be visiting for the first time, be sure to visit the St John's Cathedral and it's Caravaggio paintings, the Grand Master's Palace, Upper Barrakka Gardens and the bustling Waterfront.

If you've ever visited Malta, let me know your favourite things to do and visit.  If you have any questions about the islands of Malta and Gozo please do get in touch!!

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Prior to setting out on my travels to India I did a bit of research to discover what would be best to pack in my travel make up bag.  Lisa Eldridge's Long Haul Flight Beauty Regime video was an absolute god-send for pointing me in the right direction, even though I didn't use the same products as Lisa, my basic routine was pretty much lifted straight from hers.

I was lucky enough to spend the 10+ hours from Manchester airport to Mumbai, and back again, in business class - hello lots of space and fully reclinable chair (I was one of those annoying people who spends the first 10 mins on board pressing every single button around me to discover what it does)!  On the way out to India I was the only the female in the whole of business class, to say I got a couple of looks when going through my whole routine was an understatement, not that I cared.  It's not worth getting dehydrated and spotty just to avoid a few stares now is it?  And as Lisa Eldridge says, you might as well use the time for a little pampering!

First a note on the bag, I've been using this clear travel make up bag from Boots for over a year now for flying.  It's the perfect size for passing through airport security, whilst also being more convenient than the disposable clear baggies and big enough to fit all the bits and bobs that I insist on travelling with!  I don't like to wear a lot of make-up while travelling, there is something about long journeys that makes me feel horrid, so before setting off to the airport I just put the basics of concealer, blusher and eyebrow pencil on - to make me look alive!  This means that once settled in my seat it was easy to use the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic on a few cotton pads to remove the small amount of make-up.

The main thing I want to avoid from a long haul flight is dehydration from the recirculated air.  The Hydraluron Moisture Booster is the first layer I apply to help absorb the goodness from the products I follow up with.  Lisa Eldridge stresses using a good hydrating mask for the duration of the flight,  I went for my favourite Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, slathering a thick layer on all over my face.  I then sit back and relax with two soaked cotton wool pads covered in the Liz Earle Eye Bright Soothing Lotion over my eyes, with an eye mask over the top to keep them place.  This cools and hydrates, and after a bit of relaxation can be used to clean off any product from the area.

Throughout the long flight I will periodically brush my teeth, apply the lovely Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream and invigorating Jason lip balm.  If I'm a bit spotty I'll apply Clinique Acne Solution, and on any particularly patches of dry skin or cracked cuticles I'll apply Yu-Be balm (a bit like the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream). I always pack the Naturaleve Nourishing Therapy Oil, not only is it great for hydrating skin, but if I'm struggling to sleep the rosehip, lavender and chamomile make it great for relaxation.

When getting ready to land I'll give my face a quick wipe over with the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic, to remove the layers and layers of products applied.  I then start prepping to make myself look a little more presentable for the outside world.  The Avène Skin Recovery Cream is a great moisturiser to continue on with the intense hydration needed after a flight, and the Origins Ginzing Eye Cream is perfect for brightening up the under eye area.   A quick slick of make-up is all I need for the transfer to my hotel, so I just apply concealer to wherever I need it as well as some blusher and a  bit of an eyebrow pencil fill in my non existent brows and give some colour back to my face.  Of course perfume always comes in handy for a quick freshen up too!

I'm so happy with this routine and leave the plane feeling clean and refreshed each time, I'll definitely be continuing this for years to come.

How does this compare to your routine?  Let me know if you have any travel tips, especially for flying.

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