Three Books to Take to the Beach…

To make any beach holiday a true success, three ingredients are needed; a good bikini, a bottle of sunscreen and a bevy of books. Today we’re talking about the latter. As much as we love a real thought-provoking book, the criteria for our holiday reading is as follows: a book that isn’t too heavy, but is certainly a page turner.

One Day by David Nicholls is perfect love story with a difference. It follows Em and Dexter every year in the twenty years after their graduation, demonstrating the profound impact one person can have on your love. One for the romantics amongst us, it made us feel nostalgic for our university days, and our true first love. Beautifully written, it’ll make you laugh and cry. In similar vein, Mhairi McFarlane’s You Had Me at Hello is an excellent read for anyone who loved One Day (or vice versa). It tells of two best friends who are reunited after a decade apart. Kathryn Stockett’s international bestseller The Help takes us back to 1962 in Mississippi, in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. Perhaps with a little more thinking required than the other two, it follows the lives of three women as they aim to expand the boundaries set in place by society as they seek to unveil the truth behind societal and political structures, gender and race relations.

What books will be packed for your beach holiday this summer?

Summer Travels: Holiday Packing

After revealing our in-flight essentials on Wednesday, it’s now for the second serving in our Summer Travels feature; our three favourite picks and essentials for any summer holiday. We offer up three pieces to take you from the departure lounge to the beach in style.

We love Topshop’s collection of bikinis, and at the moment we’re finding ourselves flocking towards anything that’s mint or turquoise in colour. This Topshop bikini with the scallop edges is perfect, offering the right amount of support without compensating in terms of how flattering it is. There are many similar ones on their website, and we also love this Topshop bikini too. For a light cover-up on holiday, a loud printed kimono is exactly what the doctor ordered. This New Look kimono fits the bill. No suitcase is complete without a suitable pair of sunglasses and we love these tortoiseshell ones from River Island. They are a stylish way to protect the eyes and face from UV rays, and these look far more expensive than they actually are.

What’s on your summer holiday shopping list?

Summer Travels: In-Flight Essentials

With summer quickly approaching, everyone in the Iconemesis team is fully focused on the summer holidays. With many exciting trips to look forward to it only seemed apt that we have a mini two-part feature on the blog this week. Today is the first serving, as I talk through some of my in-flight essentials. At the end of this month I’m flying from London to Kuala Lumpur, and even though it’s two weeks I cannot wait for, I have to admit the long flight does fill me with dread. Anything that I’m packing in my hand luggage is there for one of two purposes…

With a 13 hour flight to contend with, my mind has fully been focused on what will keep me entertained for that long in such a small space. Of course, my fear of boredom is nothing that a good book can’t solve. For my in-flight reading I’ve chosen two books – one for the way there, and one for the way back – the first is Malcolm Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures and the second is the book I’ve wanted to read for a long time now, The Fault in Our Stars. I know, late to the party as always. I’ve also loaded my iPad with films and my favourite playlists to keep me going, including American Hustle. 

Does anyone else like to prepare for the eventuality that their luggage might get lost? This is where the toiletries come in. I always make sure I have the very basics with me in my hand luggage including a toothbrush and toothpaste. Plus, nobody wants the taste of that plane food to linger do they? Packed in a small cosmetics bag alongside some hand sanitiser, face wipes and face cream since the air in aeroplanes can be super dehydrating on the skin. There’s no better time to use up all those minis, which incidentally I save for weekends away and travelling. This trio of Aromatherapy Associates products came free with June’s edition of Marie Claire UK. With a cleanser, face mask and moisturiser, it’s the perfect set for my in-flight skincare routine. Since I’m heading to a much warmer climate, the SPF will always take precedence over just about anything else. This time I’ve opted for the Clinique Face Cream with SPF40 (£17) for fuss-free protection from the sun.

Flight entertainment and emergency toiletries in tow, I’m feeling a little bit more optimistic about this flight. Head back to these parts on Friday for the second serving of our Summer Travels feature.