Holiday Outfits

 And #TuesdayTwirl 

Dear friends. We've just returned from another wonderful holiday on the Greek island of Skiathos. I'm sharing some of the outfits I wore.

I thought I'd packed plenty, but while I had a lot of choice for daytime, I didn't have much that was "special" for evenings. Special but not too dressy, as Skiathos is quite a laid back,  relaxed place.

Most women wore floaty dresses or shorts at night. As you may know, I feel swamped by anything long or baggy. Ruffles, frills, lace, linen, Empire waists or Boho are just not me. I just don't feel authentic in them, that over used word! 

During the day I wear either a kaftan over my swimming costume, or shorts with a top if I'm nipping into town. This is one I bought back in April from M&S. I love anything with cherries, so the hat was a no-brainer from Accessorize.

In the pic at the top of the page, the sleeveless blouse has the sort of collar I love, and goes perfectly with my Kettlewell Devon skirt in Aquarius.  I bought the top on eBay. It was unworn with its tags intact, and came from a store in Dublin.   

I wore this Kettlewell dress at our first dinner (below) when we were relieved to finally arrive at Kassandra Bay.  It's got a very simple but flattering shape, and a small scale print which is best on me. That cocktail was very welcome. I'll explain why we were a day late reaching Skiathos in my review of the month next week.  In  two words: stormy weather! Fortunately it was sunny again when we landed.

In the evening I had 3 skirts, all knee length or slightly below, with the dress above and a few different tops plus my new polka dot shorts. 

Below: I'm wearing the Jasmine top from Kettlewell in the new Spring ditsy print, plus a skirt called Sassy which dates from 2012. The sandals are by Dune, wonderfully comfortable.  I'm about to buy them again as I've worn them out since last year.  Bag by Pom Pom London. I take one bag for evenings and yellow worked with most of my outfits. It's 10 minutes from our beach by water taxi to the town. 

Here I'm on our veranda in front of my Spring coloured swimming costumes and towel. 

You may remember this preloved skirt from a few months ago (Boden via eBay). I described it then as an outfit to frighten the husband, and it still does.  Red and purple is a difficult combination for a top,  but I found a sleeveless blouse that matches perfectly. It's also preloved ("St Michael", the old brand name at M&S). I think the colours were a bit much for J! He didn't tell me I looked nice, as he usually does. I like it. You can't be invisible in this sort of duo! 

Here's a close up of the top. 

For our final night I saved my polka dot shorts and red top, plus a new necklace I bought on the island. This pic was taken at Kassandra Bay before we got to town. Getting J to take outfit pics was a bit like pulling teeth. 

Beauty Mistakes and Winners

I made a couple of mistakes with my beauty kit, namely forgetting a hairstyling product and a decent brush. I tried to pick up both in Skiathos but the pharmacies tend to only have luxury and pharmacy brands like Korres plus OTC remedies, and the small supermarkets in town only had hairspray! 

Fortunately I had a couple of travel sized shampoos and conditioners,  one from Colour Wow, the other from L'Oreal Elvive, so at least my hair was soft and conditioned,  if a little dishevelled at times!

My winners were:

• Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice and Probiotic SPF50 sun cream (Look Fantastic, Boots). This is a highly rated Korean product.  I used it on my face, as did J, who had been constantly moaning about his scaly skin and how he was turning into a lizard. Fortunately this product helped his skin settle down. It feels more like a moisturiser than an SPF.
• Isle of Paradise Tanning Drops (Boots, Space NK and others).  I try not to expose my face to the sun but added a few drops of this to my moisturiser every other day, to give a very light tan. 
• Eve Lom Balm cleanser. Remember this? I used it years ago. A travel size turned up in a beauty box, and I really like it. I'm going to carry on using it.
• Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream in a travel size. I'd also forgotten how good this is. I used a tip from CT herself, to apply 2 layers for a glowy finish. 
• Trinny London Lip Reset Kit. This is a lip liner partnered with a non-sticky moisture boost lip gloss that helps to improve the condition of the lips. Comes in a nice little case. 

If you apply the liner just below the natural line of your lower lip, and don't extend the lip gloss to the far corners of the mouth, your lips look pleasingly plump and juicy.  I don't agree that it lasts 24 hours, however. It disappeared pretty quickly when eating! My shade duo is Fay and Lola, soft cinnamon plus coral shimmer. 

Our next holiday is 3 weeks cycling 1000 miles from Cornwall to Scotland. Yes we're doing LEJOG again. Read about the first time we did it in 2024. My packing has to be very minimal with the focus on cycling kit for all weathers (still in the right colours though!). 

Let's hear some of your beauty winners for sunshine holidays.  Do share in the comments.  

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Now it's time for #TuesdayTwirl

I'm featuring three posts which caught my eye. If you're a reader please take a look at a few of the posts in the link-up and leave a comment. Bloggers, please add up to 3 posts and seek out a couple of posts to comment on.  It's great to gift kindness and happiness in our small community. 

LAST WEEK'S FAVOURITES 

These are the posts that caught my eye. 

Amber at The Hungry Mountaineer writes so well. Discover how she camps in the wilderness with a few essential creature comforts. Surprising and amusing!  Campground Survival 101: The Ultimate Outdoor Checklist

Linen is the latest entry in the Good Buy / Good-Bye Book from Shelbee on the Edge and Nancy's Fashion Style.  It wasn't for me as I never wear linen. I can't cope with the creases. But everyone looks amazing. No creases in sight. Here's Shelbee. 

It's always a treat to see Amy's mid to late spring perennial garden. 

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