BALI

Hey everyone,

“Sorry for the lack of posts”- I pretty much start most of my entries with this but it’s been a very busy month indeed. With literally hours between planes, countries and trips I hardly had time to place my thoughts and the idea of trying to find order in my images and arrange them well with some meaningful words, seemed a little overwhelming - even though it shouldn’t at all! Well, I’m back!

This post is related to my Bali trip which I made at the beginning of August. As some of you might already know this is my third trip out there - I have to say the island is definitely a special one and even though it starts to feel like I second home, I always end up discovering it in a new, different way.

This time I started my journey in Canggu - the new “it” spot for all social media savvies as well as people who appreciate their aminities, surf lessons with a still flavoursome local vibe. When I was in Canggu 2 years ago it was definitely a little different. With Deus Ex Machina as its main spot and a couple of cool cafes it was definitely less saturated with the enchanting island vibe infrastructures. Please don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore all of the new cafes such as Milk & Madu (which has the BEST food going), the new location of Nalu Bowls which made its way next door (can’t believe the Uluwatu location is no more!) or the plentiful tasteful boutiques that sprung up from every side (which I am addicted a little too much to). However I would lie in saying that the Canggu I knew, hasn’t changed. This doesn’t necessarily mean it has been for the worst, I just hope it doesn’t completely take away the authenticity that I appreciate in such spots like it. 

As for the rest of Bali - another shock was in Bingin - I could hardly find the turn onto the beach as so many new buildings surrounded it now. I am still happy to see that the old mini supermarket hasn’t changed its bearings and that Mango Tree Cafe which serves up tasty tacos is still up and running!

On this trip apart from making my way to Canggu as well as the Bukit peninsula, I managed to visit Nusa Penida, Ceningan and Lembogan. Initially I wanted to venture to Flores, Komodo & Sumatra but I ended up running out of time, so those will definitely be in the cards for my next Indo trip. However the other mentioned isles were absolutely stunning and it was great to discover some new spots not too far from Bali itself. Nusa Penida was definitely my favourite as it felt the least ‘touristy” and super local. The beaches, waterfalls and cliff side hikes were all magical, transforming me to a part of Indonesia I haven’t experienced before..I loved the raw authenticity that you could feel there, it was exactly what I've been looking for on this trip..

Most of my days in Bali mainly consisted of missioning around the islands and mellow chilled eves..I try to avoid Kuta & the slightly less busy Seminyak but naturally, I still dropped by there to pick up a few bits from No. 216 - which is probably my favourite store ever!

Towards the end of my stay I wondered down South to the Bukit, more specifically to Bingin where I stayed at the Gravity Hotel which was an absolute dream..I will be doing a separate post about my time there.

So.. scroll down & take a quick peak to get a taste of my adventures, It's a short but sweet compilation of my favourite shots from across Nusa Penida, Ceningan as well as Bali itself. Ahead of your browse, I sincerely apologise for the smoothie bowl overload.. I devoured them on the daily basis sooo #sorrynotsorry ;)

ENJOY!

 

BALI BODY BB CREAM REVIEW

Here's time for something a little different - I haven't written about beauty for a while now. I guess this is heavily related to the fact I don't usually wear a lot of makeup or spend too much time on  beauty products in general. However, it would be a lie to say that I don't have a skincare routine or brands I heavily prefer to use when taking care of my skin. Therefore  I have decided to write a little more about beauty and share some products that I think deserve to have a place in your vanity case.  As I am not a "makeup nerd", most of my products cut down to essentials - this comes super handy when travelling and I tend to opt for pragmatism when it comes to these. I also just want to mention that this post is not in collaboration with Bali Body but a purely personal review. I really enjoy sharing great products that I think live up to their name - so here it goes!

Most recently, I was after a BB cream and I came across the one in the Bali Body range. We all know Bali Body from social media as the page known for its tanning oils that posts photos of beautifully bronzed babes! Nevertheless they also have moisturisers as well as a BB cream! I am not a huge fan of foundations so a light BB cream was exactly what I was looking for and the Bali Body one seemed to have fitted with the criteria. Having tried many other makeup brands before I was interested to see what this product will be like..plus the vegan & all natural ingredients component attracted me greatly!

With its huge social media buzz, I expected to find a lot of reviews or tips which would help me to decide whether to order this product. I have to say I was surprised to find very little information about  Bali Body products in general outside of their web shop. Therefore I decided to go ahead and just order it & try it out for myself. As the reviews were scarce, I typed my thoughts up. Here is what I thought of it..



In the UK store, the BB cream markets itself at the price of £25.95 and has a 35ml capacity. The pricing is higher than the average high street BB cream price, yet still around 10 cheaper than the BB creams from the likes of Bobbi Brown. However for the quality of the product you're getting I would say cream is fairly priced. The packaging is very visually pleasing (always a plus!) and durable which is great if you travel a lot and don't want something spilling all the time in your vanity case. Speaking from experience here as I have had that happen several times with the Dior Nude foundation before..

The Bali Body perfecting BB cream comes in two shades natural & tan. When deciding between these two, I ended up going for the tan color as currently I am still quite tan after my Costa Rica trip. I guess during the winter months I would most likely go for the lighter shade of the two just to avoid an unnatural contrast.



Ok, I have to put a disclaimer here that I am not a make up expert but I don't like to use low quality products either and I do have a vague idea about beauty. Nonetheless,  from my experience of this BBcream so far I am very happy with the quality of the cream and how it evens out my skin tone (especially as I have some patches after an uneven face tan) It's not too heavy in its consistency, yet it provides the skin with an even and balanced coverage making it look super flawless!  the "tan" shade does give a little bit of colour to the paler areas of the face and really refreshes the skin, giving it an instant glow effect! Furthermore after using the BB cream I really feel like my skin is moisturised and doesn't get as dry as before. It is also important to note that it has a SPF 15, which will protect your face from the UV rays.

Overall, I am really happy with this cream and I will definitely be purchasing it again when I'll use this one up. Therefore if you're not make up obsessed like myself, but on the odd ocassion like to perfect your skin tone, you should totally go ahead and try this cream!

UBUD OUTFIT

All I am thinking about is going back to dreamy, beachy and better days. So I am doing a throwbackthursday post to an amazing month-long(!) holiday to Indonesia, Bali.

These pictures are taken in Ubud, which is a town mid-bali, known for its iconic terraced rice-paddies.