‘If we took a holiday, just a day to celebrate, one day out of life, it would feel, it would feel so fine.’ We’re in total agreement with Madonna and her 80’s hit on this. While we’re not sure about some of her sartorial choices, or her dance moves, we certainly love a good holiday. The actual holiday is obviously a reward in itself but we even enjoy the months leading up to it, having something to look forward to and work towards, especially on those dreary mornings when we burn our ear on the curling tongs, can’t find our left shoe and are generally tired of the 9-5 treadmill. It all seems more manageable when we know that in a few sweet weeks we’ll be sun kissed and carefree. But just one day? Come on Madge, you can do better than that. This year we made a dreadful mistake and took our summery, sunshine filled break in May. Now we’re high and dry with only the memories to keep us warm. Our friends and colleagues are rushing around buying their last minute mini toothpastes and beach cover-up’s before jetting off to lands far away, while we’re praying for a heat wave here at home. As we’ve already done the holiday thing this year (sob!) and like to think of ourselves as seasoned travellers, we have a few tips for how to make the best of your time in the sun. Wherever we’re staying, whether it’s in a familiar favourite hot spot or trying something exotic and new, we always like to be surrounded by a few home comforts - some of our most cherished items to help us relax into our surroundings. Perhaps it’s just our naturally nervous disposition but we tend to feel a bit out of sorts for the first few days in a bed that’s not our own. On our last city break, the hotel TV suddenly came on at full volume in the middle of the night – needless to say the bedside light stayed on for the rest of the trip. If we’re staying in a villa or apartment, we’ll make doubly sure all the windows are locked before bed, we might be a little jumpy until we settle in and become acquainted with the everyday (and night) sounds of our temporary territory. To make the transition easier we like to pack some Shearer small candle tins, mini versions of our favourite indulgent Shearer scents that we can light to help us feel relaxed and firmly in the holiday mood, while neutralising any of those unwanted, pesky ‘holiday apartment smells.’ They can be used indoors, on the balcony and during pampering sessions – holiday is no excuse for bad lighting!
This trick also works wonders for when we’re back to reality and holiday feels like a distant dream. We’re firm believers in the power of scent to bring back happy memories and after a long day at work we can curl up and burn our favourite holiday scents, casting our minds back to slurping homemade mojitos by the pool, reading on the balcony in the morning sun and feeling like we don’t have a care in the world. Juicy Tropical Watermelon, fresh and zesty Persian Lime and evocative Vanilla and Coconut are just a few of our favourite small candle tin holiday scents, which are £4 each and also make perfect gifts. Ideally, we recommend burning these while lounging on a terrace, wearing a silky kimono, long cold drink in hand, looking out onto a tropical sunset. Or one of the above will do! A few of our favourite holiday essentials *Silky lavender eye mask, excellent for using on the plane and then luxurious daytime naps *Shearer small tins, just because you’re on holiday doesn’t mean you need to let your scented surroundings standards slip! *This year we read Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and Mrs Hemmingway by Naomi Wood, both excellent poolside reads that had us ignoring our holiday companions a little.. *Bronzy light reflecting sun creams in a high factor, a dream-come true for our pale skins *Playlists featuring some of our favourite summer tunes from Florence and the Machine, Hot Chip, Jamie XX and Years & Years Happy Holidays Candle Lovers!
