Camping Essentials

Danny and I spent the weekend in Snowdonia, making the most of the sun and our proximity to the National Park whilst we could. I've never really been a huge fan of camping, especially after spending my teenage years doing the Duke of Edinburgh awards every summer. However, with less pressure it can be great fun, and is very budget friendly so I have been learning to embrace living under canvas. 

I really don't see why or how anyone would commit themselves to camping and climbing a mountain with a face full of foundation. It's never to going to work out. I took my bare minimum, the two products I don't leave the house without and which are relatively hassle free, my mascara (L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes) and eyebrow pencil (Soap and Glory Arch de Triumph). For removal I packed a little sachet containing two eye makeup remover wipes. I can't remember where I got these from but I have a few floating around in my sample box. They're perfect for small trips when you don't want to be lugging around a big bottle of Bioderma. I also packed nail scissors, a must as a broken or chipped nail is inevitable on a trip involving the great outdoors. In terms of skincare I packed cleanser, toner, and moisturiser, as well as my trust La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo. I decanted Lush's '9 to 5' cleansing lotion into a smaller container as I only needed a nights worth and the bottle is a little leak prone. To use alongside this I took Lush's 'Breath of Fresh Air' toner as I have this in a smaller bottle than my everyday toner. It's a really nice gentle and refreshing spray, and was a welcome relief after climbing Snowdon on one of that hottest days of the year. I packed my Birchbox sample of the Carole Franck moisturiser, like most Birchbox samples, the perfect size for a weekend away.

I of course took along a deodorant, my trusty Toms of Maine roll-on, and some shower gel, this Boots Extracts Mango one has been floating around in my 'to use' pile for a while. It's fruity and refreshing, perfect after a long day hiking in the sun. Next up the products a little more tailored towards camping. Suncream was a must of course. This one by Green People is another Birchbox sample (a really good sized one in my opinion!) and was perfect for the occasion.  No trip anywhere is complete without my trusty Soap and Glory 'Hand Maid' hand sanitizer, which came in useful a lot over the weekend (I think Danny used it even more than I did!). I learned to love Compeed plasters during my DofE days, they're really thick and provide a good 'second skin' effect so were a must when it came to packing. My beloved Tangle Teezer also made the trip, DofE taught me that when camping, my hair will become knotty for no good reason. I cannot emphasises enough how much of a lifesaver this brush is! Insect repellent is another camping must-have. We didn't use it much but it's good to take along just in case you end up camping near somewhere swampy and midge-prone. Because of the hot weather I bought a cooling spray. This one by Boots was pretty cheap and does the job just as well as more expensive ones by the likes of Evian and Avene do.

So those are my camping essentials (in a nutshell), if you have any questions or suggestions for what I should pack on my future trips let me know! I leave you with a pic of Snowdon in all it's glory.