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Your Holiday Checklist at Meadowhall 

Whether you’re camping in Cornwall or lazing on a beach in Corfu, this summer is all about some much-needed downtime with family and friends basking in some sunshine.  

To make your life easier, we’ve put together a list of summer 2022 must-buys alongside holiday prep and useful essentials for city breaks, road trips, beach holidays, weekends away and long summer holidays.  

We’re home to some of the high street’s biggest names for fashion, beauty, skincare, tech and accessories making Meadowhall the perfect place to start your holiday shopping. Just don’t forget your toothbrush.  

Pre-holiday prepping

Ready for your pre-holiday prep kit? Beauty professionals recommend a haircut two weeks before you arrive on holiday to remove any split ends and damage then a countdown of body exfoliation (10 days) to buff skin, eyebrows shaped and coloured with any lash extensions (seven days) finishing up with waxing and threading, fake tan, shellac gel or normal pedicures and manicures five to three days before you go. BROWSMint Nail & Brow, Superdrug and Supercuts are all on hand at Meadowhall to make your grooming prep go smoothly.

Must-buy SPF and skincare

In need of some Vitamin D? Don’t leave home without your SPF and sunscreens whatever your skintone (there are some excellent transparent sunscreens designed for darker skintones that won’t leave that annoying white residue). Even on cloudy summer days in the UK, you should be applying SPF when the UV index is at its highest between 11am and 3pm (remember that SPF moisturisers are good but no replacement for sun cream).

UVA causes skin ageing while UVB causes sunburn so when buying good sunscreen, look for a UVA logo with the letters UVA printed in a circle or choose a four of five-star UVA rating. UVB rays are responsible for the vast majority of sunburn cases and linked with increased risk of skin cancer; SPFs with 50+ offer the strongest forms of UVB protection and you should wear an SPF of at least 30 in the summer.


Image provided by H&M

For children under the age of two, UVA clothing and broad-brimmed hats are excellent buys as they protect the back of the neck and ears as well as providing shade for the face. A sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and a high UVA protection should be applied to children every two to three hours. And, don’t forget your hair sunscreen too.

For all your skincare needs from go-to brands including L’Oreal, La Roche-Posay, Garnier, Avon and Nivea, try Boots, Superdrug and The Body Shop.

Beauty and travel essentials

From a signature summer fragrance to bronzers and lipsticks from MAC and Urban Decay (orange and pink vs neutrals), update your beauty bag before you get on board your flight. If you’re carrying your bags on the plane, remember to ensure you decant all your favourite items into 100ml travel sizes. Then, don’t forget essentials such as dry shampoo, moisturising conditioners for curls and Afro hair, waterproof mascaras that can be worn to the sea and pool and soothing body moisturisers at L’Occitane and after-sun oils from Boots and Superdrug.

Plus there’s the practical bits: mosquito repellent sprays and plug-ins, anti-insect bite creams and antihistamines, ear plugs for the flight, Calpol, plasters and Sudocrem for children plus wet wipes and contact lens solution.

Holiday tech accessories – don’t forget your charger

If you don’t want to spend the first morning of your holiday trying to find the local tech supplier then now’s your chance to stock up on the holiday accessory essentials at WH Smith, Apple, Argos and Currys .

Don’t forget essential hair straighteners and curlers, travel adaptors and hairdryers and take a travel charging unit in case anything goes walkabout and you desperately need to access tickets and contact details on your phone. You can also pick up handy passport and document folders so you don’t forget your paperwork.

This summer’s holiday clothes and footwear

This summer holiday season, colour and fun are back. Think ice-cream shades, 90s-style slip and prairie dresses with jumpsuits (Zara, H&M, Next, Marks & Spencer and Urban Outfitters alongside All Saints, River Island, French Connection, New Look and Primark all have incredible spring/summer collections right now).

For this season’s sky-high platforms and sliders, ballet pumps, clogs and knee-high boots visit Office, Carvela, Clarks, Dune London, Kurt Geiger and schuh.

A model wearing high heeled pink sandals
Image provided by Dune London

Delicate and chunky gold chains (wear round bellies, hands and feet for Ibiza vibes), giant hoops and statement hair slides are leading the way in accessories (try Urban Outfitters, Pandora, Austen & Blake, Ernest Jones and Goldsmiths).

Two models, one wearing a black and gold dress and one wearing satin patterned trousers and shirt with a bikini top under
Image provided by River Island

For evenings, wideleg trousers and oversize shirts are your go-to for easy tailoring (try Ted Baker, Reiss and H&M) while airport looks are all about neat-but-comfy joggers and sweatshirts (Boux Avenue has you covered).

A model wearing a peachy orange hoodie and jogging bottoms
Image provided by Boux Avenue

For men, tropical print and board shorts with lightweight jackets and polos will instantly update his holiday wardrobe with bright citrus pops of colour and accessories that embrace the summer feelgood factor.

A model wearing peach clothing including shorts, a shirt and baseball cap
Image provided by M&S

Head to H&M, Zara, BOSS, Lacoste, Jack Wills, Pretty Green, Superdry and Tommy Hilfiger for breakout looks to suit him. For fresh out-the-box trainers, don’t miss JD Sports, Footasylum and Footlocker.

Clogs
Image provided by M&S

 

Get some new sunglasses

 

When it comes to women’s sunglasses, colourful, oversize and angular frames are leading trends for s/s 2022 with men’s leaning more towards more conservative tortoiseshell and metal looks. Accessorize, Sunglass Hut, Boots and Zara are essential pre-holiday visits.

 

Swimwear for the pool and beach

A model wearing a pink bikini top, mint green bikini bottoms and sunglasses
Image provided by M&S

Swimwear has upped its game this season with colourful crochet, cutout slimline one pieces and 50s silhouettes making for wearable and universally good-looking pool and beachwear from Boux Avenue, Victoria’s Secret, FatFaceMarks & Spencer, Primark and H&M.

A group of people on the beach wearing swimwear
Image provided by FatFace

Meanwhile for men, it’s sport-casual (think 70s-Californian running shorts) or more tailored finishes to give a slightly preppy look – try Tommy Hilfiger, Zara and Pretty Green.

Bags and luggage for travelling

crochet handbags from dune
Image provided by Dune

We’re home to some of the most recognisable accessories brands in the world including Micheal Kors and Ted Baker with high-street wonders from Next, H&M and Marks & Spencer. The bum bag/banana sling/fanny pack is everywhere this summer and perfect for holiday packing. You’ll need to complement it with a useful tote though for those everyday vacation essentials – straw, crochet and colourful are huge trends – while you can also find a variety of bags at TK Maxx.

 

Holiday essentials for kids

A child wearing hawaiian style shirt and shorts and sandals
Image provided by River Island

For kids’ swimwear, summer outfits and shoes, head to Zara, H&M, Next, Marks & Spencer, River Island and Primark. For oversize beach towels, inflatables, armbands and buckets and spades head to TK Maxx or The Entertainer. For travel games and in-flight entertainment, we recommend Flying Tiger and for updating tablets and iPads for long journeys then head to Argos, Apple and Currys. Pick up puzzle books, fiction and games for them (and you) at Waterstones and The Works too.

Three children all wearing M&S swimwear
Image provided by M&S

 

Finally…

Top up your holiday cash at Eurochange and relax into a much-needed break. We recommend pre-holiday cocktails, beers and food from any of our incredible cafes and restaurants as your reward. Happy holiday shopping..

Margarita cocktails from Las Iguanas Meadowhall
Image provided by Las Iguanas

Discover the 10 Summer Fashion Essentials for 2022

Discover the best places to eat, drink and shop at Meadowhall and follow us @lovemeadowhall

 

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