Hi kittens! I’m suffering with a bit of the Monday blues (definitely a classified medical condition) and so the only option to cheer myself is to self-medicate with a healthy doss of holiday excitement.

Unfortunately I’ve not booked a summer holiday yet – sob! – but that doesn’t mean I can’t get excited for y’all who I’ve seen getting excited about your vay-cay plans coming up. So, in true helpful kitty cat style, I’ve compiled a little reminder of the items you might forget to pack in your case. All, in my eyes, essentials, but ones that are sometimes forgotten. Although some of my items are pretty self explanatory – we all need SPF, UV protective sunglassses and a large sunhat to protect against the sun’s rays (and a retro style swimsuit to enjoy them in!) – other top items might not be as expected.

Take, for instance, my two pairs of shoes. Although we all might remember our strappy sandals, there’s only so much style you can inject in an outfit with flipflops. Instead, I like to add a little variety to my outfits by taking two pairs of real shoes. I’ve included my favourite canvas editions, these gorgeous sea-blue Keds, as they’re not only super comfortable for roaming the streets on your holiday, but are also super cute and a bright summer colour! My second pair of shoes are my equally comfortable Tai Baby Chams – the flatform means they’re easy on the foot and not too dressy, but the retro polkadot pattern and bow are perfect for accessorising with a summer dress for your evening meal out. I’ll be styling both pairs of shoes very soon, but for the mean time, check out a previous post on my Sperry’s to get an idea of how I’d style my Keds (although I hope I’d be able to change my umbrella for a parasol on my hols!).

Finally, I’ve compiled some beauty essentials which often slip my mind when in the midst of a packing panic, but I always end up replacing by the time my holiday’s out. The first is a light fragrance; my chosen one is Dot by Marc Jacobs as it’s very subtle but suitably fruity for a summer holiday. The added bonus is that if bought from Fragrance Direct, the perfume comes with a designer umbrella too, perfect for popping in your bag incase of any tropical showers.

For some make-up tid-bits, I’ve popped in my Benefit Chachatint from Look Fantastic and my favourite summer Lanolips shade, Apples. The Chachatint is perfect for popping onto the cheeks for a gentle holiday glow (as a multi-purpose stain it’s a lot more natural-looking than a traditional blush). And, as y’all know, I’ve already reviewed Lanolips Lip Ointment on my blog before – click here if you’d like a quick reminder – but this new summer shade is perfect for an extra added colour. It’s lighter than a lip gloss but adds a warm rosy shade like a lip gloss. Both items are especially handy if you’re pale and need an extra boost in the colour department like I do!

Finally, I’ve reviewed Aime’s SPF moisturiser on my blog before, which is understandably perfect for taking away to a sunny place, but thought it might be too obvious for this reminder blog post. Instead, remember to cleanse your skin before you go away and exfoliate after you get back, to keep it in good condition and regenerate the skin cells. I love this Spring Clean clay face mask from Aime’s due to it’s mint scent – it’s so refreshing it actually makes your skin tingle! I bet it’ll come into it’s own when the cooling properties are applied to skin that’s been in the sun for perhaps a little too long. To keep your nails in good condition whilst you’re away – yes, we moisturise our hands, so why not our nails? – I recommend this Viridian Nail and Cuticle Oil. Prevent the sun from drying out your cuticles and your manicure will last longer; you’ll need it to if you’re away!

So kittens, what are you taking on your holidays this year? Or are you being left behind like me? Leave me a comment below and let me know! And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, like my Facebook page and subscribe to my Youtube channel to keep up to date with all things fashion!