I had hoped to get this post up a lot sooner, but I’ve been moving from working in TV drama and film, to working in entertainment and factual. Much more of a work-life balance! I have been excited however, to share my holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes with you. I was excited to travel to Greece anyway, but something very special happened… I got ENGAGED!!!We stayed in an incredible hotel that was literally right on the beach – the Avra Beach Resort – so we got to eat our lunch and dinner with such a beautiful view. No windows, no walls, just the beach and the sea at our side. We stayed in the Ixia area of Rhodes. The area is very run down, but our hotel was a luxury haven from that. I’d like to explore different Greek islands for vacations next time. You can even get a boat from Rhodes to the beautiful smaller island of Kasos.We arrived at the hotel literally at 3AM. I need my sleep and this is most definitely not a good time to travel. We were starving and exhausted, but the hotel had fresh ham and cheese rolls and cold fruit juice for when we came to check-in. We had our food, fell into a deep sleep, then awoke, surprisingly spritely at around 10AM. We had missed breakfast, but at this hotel that is not an issue. 10AM was the time from which fresh waffles and a giant vat of Nutella chocolate sauce appeared on the beach bar, continuing until 5PM.The other all-day food options were freshly made stone-baked pizzas from the pizza bar, with a variety of fresh toppings; or gyros and chips from the gyros bar. I don’t even want to think about how many pizzas I must have consumed over the week we were there – it was a lot, and I loved watching the dough being stretched and the pizzas being put into the clay oven. We basically just sunbathed, read books and ate for the whole holiday.I didn’t drink much alcohol as the cocktails were incredibly strong, as they were made without measurements. They contained a LOT of alcohol; but I didn’t like how much you could taste it. I stuck to the delicious fruity mocktails or Diet Coke.

The breakfast, lunch and dinner breakfast were varied; however, for breakfast, I ate warm crepes with Nutella every morning. They kept me high on sugar until it was time for the waffles to come out at the beach bar!

For lunch and dinner there was a huge salad bar with fresh cheeses; but sadly no halloumi. There was also always a variety of pastas, paella or risottos; freshly cooked beef, pork, lamb and beef in a variety of sauces and marinades; as well as potato bakes and chips. Like on all all-inclusive holidays, you do get bored of the buffet by the end of the week, and this hotel would have definitely benefited from having more theme nights – they did do one Chinese night; but it wasn’t great. The desserts also weren’t that good; but since I’d consumed so many crepes and waffles with Nutella chocolate sauce throughout the day, I didn’t really mind this.There was entertainment on every night from 9:30PM; but we didn’t ever watch this. We always had an early night, as this is what I prefer to do – time to chill out, watch some TV and do some skincare stuff before going to sleep. However, we did watch the sunset every night first, from the beach, which was beautiful and relaxing. On the second night of our holiday, we got engaged by the beach with a ring from a packet of Haribo in the hotel shop. It was funny, and lovely and suited David and I perfectly.Let’s talk about some of the beauty products that I took on holiday. I used two facial spf products on holiday (I also had my SPF 30 CC cream on too). I used the Transformulas Flawless Photo Glow SPF 30 as a kind of glow-boosting primer after moisturising. This has a lovely non-greasy, light feel to it. It moisturises well, protects your skin and evens out skin tone. It contains great skin-softening ingredient Squalene, so it leaves your skin feeling so soft, silky and smooth. There’s also a multivitamin and fatty acid compound to offer anti-ageing benefits by promoting skin cell regeneration to keep the skin firm with good elasticity. It also offers both UVA and UVB protection, so it’s a great facial SPF option for your holiday.

To top up my sunscreen throughout the morning (I reapplied everything in the afternoons), I used the Bioderma Hydrobio Moisturising Anti-UV Mist. This is a facial SPF mist, not a straight water mist; so it does feel quite greasy. Even although it does contain water, it’s not the sort of mist to use to cool down with. Despite it’s greasy texture, it distributes the SPF very well, and feels very light. I was just gently patting and massaging it into my skin after spraying. It also is SPF 30 and leaves skin feeling more moisturised too. The sun was incredibly hot and SPF just wasn’t enough, so next time i’d definitely invest in an all around beach umbrella to better protect myself. I would also maybe look at staying in a Rhodes apartment next time, to get better private places to break from the sun.Like normal, I took quite a few sheet masks and eye masks on holiday. I chose ones that were particularly hydrating and soothing – so that my skin could recover after being in the hot sun for most of the day. One of my favourites was the Danielle Beauty Eucalyptus Rejuvenating Face Sheet Mask (£2.50 from Club Cleo). This sheet mask (especially if kept in the fridge) is soothing, calms skin and re-hydrates the skin. It contains Eucalyptus to reduce skin redness and inflammation, as well as cooling Witch Hazel and soothing and hydrating Aloe Vera. Great for skin that’s got some sun.

I also looked after my lips on holiday with a fab duo from L’Occitane Raspberry Crush Delicious Lip Scrub (£14 from L’Occitane) and the L’Occitane Pink Callison Tinted Balm (£20). These are such nice products to use! The lip scrub is gentle and so fruity, you almost want to eat it. I put some of this on, rub my lips together and then wipe it off. It contains raspberry extract, so you are getting exfoliation from the raspberry seeds, and that yummy fruity scent. It also contains lip softening Pomelo Oil, Pomegranate Oil and protective Vitamin E. The lip balm has a beautiful light pink tint that just accentuates my own natural lip colour. It’s thick and effective, and you can really feel that it does the job straight away. It really softens and hydrates the lips, and makes them look really pretty too.Drunk Elephant was the only other skincare that I used when I was away, and the mini kit that I used (the Drunk Elephant Get Even Kit – £84 from Space NK) has totally got me obsessed with some of their products. The set contained their B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum, which I used morning and night. So light, but really hydrates and plumps the skin. There was also their Protini Polypeptide Cream, a moisturiser that I used day and night also. It’s full of amino acids and peptides, so it keeps the skin plump and bouncy. In the mornings I also used the super-brightening C-Firma Day Serum, a Vitamin C serum that evens skin tone and has great anti-aging benefits. I just wrote a post on Vitamin C skincare here. At night, I alternated between the T.L.C Glycolic Night Serum and the A-Passioni Retinol Cream. Both worked really well, and didn’t feel any stronger than what I’ve been using normally at home. They kept my skin clear, even, smooth, plump and healthy-looking. I can’t wait to discover more Drunk Elephant products, but this set is a great place to start if you are trying the brand for the first time. If you want more ideas for what to pack on your holiday, this is a great international packing ideas post.We had an amazing time and my freckles came out like crazy. I really want to go back – I had to unfollow the hotel on Instagram as it was making me too sad! I love the Greek islands now and i’d love to try a Crete holiday next – after seeing this Crete itinerary! If you are looking for some more Greece travel inspiration, check out this post on towns you must visit in Greece.

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