Don’t you love a big fluffy Teddy? I never had a bigger one (although I always wanted one) but I always had the little ones. Today I’m going to talk about not just any teddy but the cuddly Rilakkuma and Canon EOS M10. Also, how they can be your perfect travel companion.
Sounds exciting enough? Oh yes! Who doesn’t love Canon camera? When it comes to digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras Canon has always been in my top chart. I personally use the Canon 700D for all my blog photos or even for special capture when I’m traveling. But wait, it is not easy to travel with a big fat DSLR and there comes the need of a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera. With such camera, you get almost the DSLR quality, freedom of choosing lens according to your preference and its compact in size so can fit that in your handbag without any headache.
I’m a mirrorless camera user for ages. I always reach for my Sony NEX 3N for events or simply anywhere I’m going. I can never live without that because it’s easy to carry. Obviously when I bought mine then Canon didn’t have a mirrorless option. I’m so happy that finally Canon came up with their mirrorless version. After their first one (Canon EOS M3) now the newest version EOS M10 has arrived here in Malaysia.
Along with its compact and lightweight body, it also offers a large 18.0-megapixel APS-C sensor, fast hybrid CMOS AF-2 system, easy operation and touch screen. EOS M10 also perfectly designed for self portrait. You get that flip screen, one touch beautification shortcut, wifi feature and much more. Isn’t it lovely?
When you are travelling, a mirrorless camera can be your best friend for taking high-quality photos. because it’s lightweight, can fit anywhere, you can change lenses anytime. Needless to mention again that flip screen feature so you won’t need anyone else to take your photos.
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Now let’s get back to the teddy, Mr. Rilakkuma. Rilakkuma (originated in Japan) represent the dreams of a carefree lifestyle. Rilakkuma (the relaxed bear) is a very popular Japanese character. He is always lazy and relaxed anytime, anywhere, moving at his own pace. Who else could be the best travel companion when you’re seeking for some relaxed time but Rilakkuma? Trust me, he’s so cuddly!
Best part, you can now make a limited edition Rilakkuma (24cm) your travel buddy with every purchase of new Canon EOS M10. Canon has also various kits with different lenses in this special Rilakkuma promotion. The basic camera with kit lens pricing starts from RM1999.
PS: You can also win everything for free because Canon running a ToyTravel photo challenge. You just have to participate according to their themes (can be found here) and winner of each theme stands to win an EOS M10 kit (EF-M15-45mm) along with a 24cm Rilakkuma Plush toy! Let the toy travel begin 🙂
Earlier in May’16 Amore Pacific Malaysia (the mother company that has brands like Laneige, Sulwhasoo, and Innisfree under their umbrella) held a launch preview of its latest brand, Mamonde (means ‘My World’). Mamonde (originated in South Korea, 1991) is the leading global premium cosmetics brand that offers a wide range of skincare and makeup suitable for every women’s daily needs.
I was lucky enough to attend the launch preview and experience the floral world of Mamonde, the flower science behind their product manufacturing technology. We were briefed how Mamonde skincare is the first of its kind in the cosmetics world as their product formula uses the flowers as its key ingredient. Flower, the divine creation of nature possess amazing power and energy to revitalize beauty thus, Mamonde’s inspiration of its innovating flower science technology comes from.
Mamonde skincare range features a few key flowers, they are…
Honeysuckle
Rose
Hibiscus
Camellia
Lotus
Magnolia
The product formulation also includes other flora like Narcissus, Evening Primrose, and the Heartleaf Houttuynia. The range of product benefits you’ll find are…
Vitalizing
Moisturizing and Hydrating
Anti-aging
Cleansing and Exfoliation
Brightening
Pore Care and Oil Balancing
Sun Protection
and of course there is Makeup range from base to lip
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Have a look at at the glimpse of Mamonde World in their Launch Preview below…
Mamonde Signature Collection
Mamonde Sheet Mask Collection
Mamonde SKincare Range
Mamonde Makeup Range
We all are loaded with Mamonde Product 🙂
Mamonde is set to launch in Malaysian strand in August’16 with the opening of its first beauty counter in Aeon Bandar Utama. Price range is expected to be between RM6-RM169.
If you know me then you know how much I love those products that are inspired by nature and in this case we are dealing with flowers! A few of Mamonde Skincare goodness already made their place in my skin care routine. You must stay connected for my in-depth review on them.
But, wait…. before the launch you can also get a chance to try one of Mamonde’s hot makeup product, Cover Powder Cushion. Because I have a giveaway here 🙂 Bonus: The compact comes with one extra cushion!
I was one of the winners in Mamonde Flower Beaty Class Contest and I got some pretty goodies as my prize and thought to share this hot one with one of you(eeee… wish I had a bunch to share with all of you).
What you’ll need to do? Just follow the instruction in the widget below…
Have you checked the steps carefully? Now Subscribe to the blog (form can be found at the top, right sidebar) and leave me a comment below answering, ‘what is your favourite foundation?‘ Facebook sharing can help you to earn points and increase you chance as much as you can.
NOTES:
This Giveaway is open to Malaysia & Bangladesh only and ends on 15th July’16. You must be 18 and able to provide your postal address. One winner will be determined by Rafflecopter Random Winner Picker. I’ll pick the winner by 20th July and sent out emails to the winner. Be sure to provide your correct mail ID in the blog subscription form. The winner needs to respond by 48hours once the mail is sent out. Otherwise, I’ll pick the next winner.
*** This giveaway is not sponsored by the company or anyone by any means. I hold the right to cancel it anytime if anything unpleasant occurs.
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I haven’t been shared any nail post for ages, isn’t it? Just freshly did my nails this morning with my new (almost!) Sally Hansen Highgrey To Heaven. It’s a beautiful pastel-ish grey nail shade and one from Sally Hansen’s new limited edition collection. Isn’t it summer already? I’m still in pastel, kinda springy mood?! hehe… my mood doesn’t follow the trends I guess! I also like to change my nails every now and then. Quick self-done main’s are my favorite, probably so my nails are yet to taste acrylic. I guess it not bad at all.
So what I was saying… yeah, it’s a nail of the day post today and kind of my quick nail rituals.
Before washing my nail with soap I always go with Sally Hansen Gel Cuticle remover (has been my ultimate favorite for long) to smooth out any hanging dead skin. Push down the cuticles inside, file and buff my nail and then wash them off nicely. For my nail base, I always use Sally Hansen Maximum Sheild. Hands down! …the best nail hardener and base coat I found within the drugstore price range. And for today, I picked up the pastel grey shade (a limited edition), popped in some floral sticker and finished off with the same base coat. One product with two use haha! It wasn’t meant for two-way use but I do, nothing hurts after all!
Unlike the basic Sally Hansen nail polish range (round bottles) this edition has a flat but thick and short bristled brush to assure a nice application. I would really love this fact if only the bristles were not uneven (I’m not sure if it’s the same with all or with my ones only). However, I love the formula. It’s not thick neither thin, just the perfect consistency. Dries fast, gives nice and shiny finish, also the polish last really long (4-5 days) without chipping.
As I mentioned before, the shade I picked for today is a part of their limited edition collection. Along with the Grey one, there are five more colors (picture below) to choose from.
Have you tried Sally Hansen nail product before? Any favourites?
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Shopping info:
Sally Hansen Limited Edition | RM26.90 (each)
Sally Hansen Gel Cuticle remover | RM22
Sally Hansen Maximum Sheild | RM32.90 Available at: Watsons, Guardian, Sasa Malaysia and Caring
[/color-box] *** This article contains a PR Sample or gifted item.
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The day I started using Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Advanced Serum By Wishtrend I posted a snap on my Instagram and Facebook (if you’re not following me there then I think you totally should because everything goes up there first). Since then I received many queries from my readers asking me how the serum is working on me. I kept you all waiting this long (a month almost), apology for that but I wanted to be completely sure about my opinion.
Vitamin C for skin has always been an attractive topic among all beauty lovers. Around 4/5 years back I myself fell into this craze and tried to add vitamin C to my skincare regime. That time I wasn’t able to find anything as handy as Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Advanced Serum By Wishtrend is. So I went with a web research based DIY vitamin C serum method with the pure ascorbic acid ampoule. That was an epic fail.
If you’re familiar with ascorbic acid and its characteristic then you’ll know already, why! Ascorbic acid is an unstable property that you barely can store. Additionally, I didn’t find it wise to use ascorbic acid directly on my skin. Eventually, my DIY madness didn’t take much time to catch sense.
When I got the Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Advanced Serum in hand, needless to say, my memory with Vitamin C serum made me laugh so bad. I was excited as well to try it out after all this serum has a high concentration (21.5%) of Vitamin C that you can’t possibly find in anything else.
Before going into the product experience, let me tell you a bit about Vitamin C and its effect on the skin…
Vitamin C for skin:
If you do a bit of web search you’ll find there are a lot of scientific/medical explanations of how vitamin C is a good old immunity-boosting particle as well as a major ingredient in collagen synthesis. I want to simplify, vitamin C is a vital donor of electron thus it stimulates the process of cell regeneration as well as reduces the ratio of free radical damage.
Oxidative damage and Photodamage/ photoaging (caused by UV rays) lead our skin to change its structure. As result, we get the aging sign, sag, and wrinkles. Vitamin C, when in the form of pure liquid (ascorbic acid), get directly into skin cells antioxidant in it neutralizes free radicals that age skin.
In addition, the antioxidant function helps to regulate collagen synthesis process properly. Vitamin C heals wounds rapidly, however, open wound or inflammation might cause a mixed result. Although Vitamin C decreases skin roughness. Some research says that it might cause skin dryness.
The packaging of Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Serum:
Pure Vitamin C 21.5 advanced serum comes in a tinted bottle (reminds me of ascorbic acid ampoule) and a glass dropper screw cap. After opening the initial cap it comes with you can simply put and keep the dropper cap on. Once the bottle is open you must keep it in the fridge and use up the product as soon as possible. Although it’s a serum because of the high consistency of vitamin c it is not stable in normal heat. The bottle contains 30ml of serum. This 30ml goes a long way as I have been using the serum for about 4 weeks, regularly. I need exactly 7 drops for my face and neck. By now I finished only half of the bottle, it seems it will serve me a month more.
The packaging has the ingredient list and the direction of use in it. Click the picture in the gallery to read them clearly.
My experience with Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Advances Serum:
I’ve added the serum in my night-time skincare routine. Every night after washing my face I take out just 7 drops in my palm and pat it on my face and neck. I let it sit for 10-15 minutes then I follow up with my other skincare item. In the process, I’ve been avoiding my toner at night because I wanted my skin to get the serum directly, didn’t wanted the toner to disturb my serum afterward either. Instead of toner, I was just opting for a skin emulsion before my night moisturizer. Also, I’ve been using the serum only 5 days in a week, and the rest 2 days I was doing my exfoliation and else.
The serum is just water-like, it’s not oily but not non-sticky either. However, the stickiness is very mild and goes off after using any other skincare product. Doesn’t have any strong scents or else. It has a very citrusy taste (in case the serum gets into your lips you’ll feel it :p), gives a mild tingling sensation if the skin has any kind of sensitive part or inflammation. That’s why I avoid using it on the day I exfoliate my skin or use any exfoliating mask.
When I started using the serum my skin was pretty good in condition with no acne or breakouts but I do have kinda rough skin texture. In the first week, I was surprised to see that the oil secretion of my skin has been noticeably controlled somehow. I was getting fresh, tightened, and oil-free skin every morning. After the first week, I had to stop using it because I went for a holiday (read my Bali travel blog here). When I got back from holiday my skin was terribly tanned, almost closed to burn.
I resumed my regular skincare routine along with the Pure Vitamin C 21.5 serum. After a week, I started noticing a big difference in my skin. My suntan was clearing out faster than ever I experienced before. In the second week, I was feeling somehow my skin texture is a bit smoother. Now at the end of the third week or so, I’m pretty much sure that my skin texture has improved a lot, pores in my nose area feel smaller, and my tan is almost gone. I’m truly impressed with the serum by now and already planning to make it permanent in my skincare routine.
I haven’t faced any drying issue so far or any zit that might cause by the serum. This serum might help to fade out spots with long-term use, however, I’m not really sure of that because my spots are still the same. The way it helped me to get rid of the sun-tan I’m quite sure that the serum definitely helps to maintain the skin glow aka healthy skin. Now I’m looking forward to a less tired face and a bit more improvement in my skin texture.
Things you should know before using Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Serum:
This serum is a high concentration of ascorbic acid so I don’t think it should be used in the daytime. Daytime use of it can cause sun sensitivity. I also think, while using the serum one should avoid sun exposure as much as possible or be very careful with the sunscreen(you can’t skip a high SPF sunscreen).
The serum seems to be suitable for any skin type, however, if you have active acne you should avoid using it until the acne dries out. Also If you want to try a mild version then do read my post on Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum.
Do I recommend Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Advanced Serum By Wishtrend? Without any doubt, I do. Especially if you’re in your late 20s or more you must give this serum a try.
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Shopping Info:
Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Advanced Serum | $29.99 (on sale now for $24.99) Shop from Wishtrend Website directly. They always have a lot of attractive promotions going on and they offer international shipping with std and fast options.
Free worldwide shipping on orders $69 or above and most of the time Wishtrend offers Free Shipping for many exclusive products.
BONUS: You can receive a 5$ coupon instantly if you use my code ‘146262906’ upon signing up. Key in the Code when asked for ‘SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM’ code on the registration form.
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*** Pure Vitamin C21.5 serum was sent to me by Wishtrend for review purposes. Regardless, all my opinions are 100% honest and based on my own experience.
Earlier this year, around February or March, Nars introduced their new base product, Velvet Matte Skin Tint with SPF 30 PA+++. I have been away from BBcreams or skin tints for a long time now. When I saw this new release by Nars I was intrigued to give it a try. As because Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint contains SPF thought it would be perfect for everyday use.
It’s been around two months of using Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint, I build up a serious love-hate relationship with it. There are these days when I love it effortlessly and some days when I end up hating it.
Am I sounds confusing?
Actually, this skin tint turned out to be a real tricky product to use for me. After two months or so I finally get a hold on how I can properly use it so I don’t end up hating it during the day.
Before talking about my experience let me give you some general intro about the product…
Packaging Of Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint
Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint has a nice and sleek black matte tube packaging just like all other Nars products. The actual product is almost mousse-like so with the tube packaging it’s easy to dispense the product. The tube contains 50ml of product which is a lot compared to the standard amount (30ml) of makeup base product available in the market.
The packaging tends to get dirty and catch fingerprints so easily, happens with all other Nars product, I don’t really mind that I kinda got used to with this issue of Nars packaging.
Colour Range of this Nars Skin Tint/BB Cream
There are 12 shades available in the market but Nars Malaysia only had 9 of them as far as I can remember. I matched myself with the shade Annapurna (Medium 2). I would probably get the shade medium 1.5 but that swatched on my skin quite pinkish and pale. Although medium 2 definitely has a strong orange tone I thought I’ll be able to manage it.
The shade medium 2 is the closest one to my skin, it matches me well except for that orange tone which bugs me sometimes. Good thing it doesn’t go more orange over time because it doesn’t oxidize.
My experience with Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint
Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint has a mousse-like texture, glides on and blends effortlessly, has no artificial scents in it, the lasting power is very satisfactory. The oil-free velvety formula gives a nice semi-matte, healthy finish to the skin and keeps skin oil-free for 5-6 hours even in the most humid weather.
I took Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint with me during my Bali holiday as my beach essential and this product didn’t fail me at all. The sun protection in it did protect my face from sun damage and the oil-free long-lasting formula it beat the heat of Bali, kept me fresh throughout the day.
As I mentioned before I have a love-hate relationship with Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint main reason behind that is to apply the right amount. It gives a light to medium coverage and not buildable even a slight bit more by any means. If you layer it up it’ll end up being blotchy and cakey.
The product gives a nice tint, one layer is enough to cover redness and uneven skin tone. If you want to cover up your dark spot or undereye circle then follow up with a concealer.
How is the Nars oil-free BB Cream formula holding up?
Because of its formula, Nars skin tint doesn’t require powder to set on the skin. I’ve combination skin type and I’m normally used to set my base with powder. Sometimes I also layer up powder in my t-zone to prevent further oiliness. That method of mine didn’t work with Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint.
As because it doesn’t require powder to set this when I was layering powder to set the base it was turning cakey within an hour. I made some changes to my routine. Started applying just the amount of product I need, cover-up further imperfections with a concealer. Later set my t-zone only with just a touch of powder leaving the rest powder-free. This makeup trick quite holds up so far to keep skin fresh day-long.
To conclude my thoughts about Nard Skin Tint,
I find Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint applies best with the finger but I’m not good at applying foundations with the finger so alternatively, a beauty blender is the best tool for me.
Overall, I do like Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint and it is my go-to face product nowadays. I love how it stays put in the hot weather without sliding off. However, but because of its slightly overpowered slightly orangy tone, I’m probably not going to make a second purchase.
Have you Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint? How do you feel about it?
Shopping Info:
Shopping Info: Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint | RM170 / $44 Shop from Nars Boutique Malaysia, Sephora online.
Hie there beautiful, how you doing? If you’re following me on my social media then you must have noticed around in the middle of March’16 I was sent these gorgeous bundle of Elysium Brushes. Elysium is a Hong Kong based online company, aims to provide highest quality makeup brushes with an affordable price tag. I have been playing with them a lot for last two months. They have gone through all my experiment so far and finally I think I can state my opinion on Elysium brushes.
So first let tell you about the sets/brushes I got…
Elysium Face & Eye Bundle AKA Deluxe Set:
Elysium Face Bundle
Elysium Eye Bundle
Face Bundle comes with 10 brushes…
Alpha
Multiplication
Infinity
Square Root
Cube Root
Division
Factorial
Beta
Beta Z
Integral
Eye Bundle come with 8 brushes…
Integral
Epsilon
Delta
Pi
Omega
Upsilon
Subset
Selection
All these 17 brushes mainly come within the Elysium Deluxe set but the option to buy them as a face set or eye set (the brush Integral comes as common one in both set) definitely more convenient. I love that each brush has their own unique name so they are easy to mention/remember.
Elysium Contour Brushes:
Elysium Contour Brushes
From Left to Right…
Beta, Alpha, Beta Z
There are three flat contour brushes comes in the Face bundle or in the deluxe set. Alpha, Beta and Beta Z. Beta has natural bristle and other two has synthetic hair. Alpha is bigger in size, nicely packed bristle, and short length compared to other two. These type of flat contour brushes are very popular at the moment among all makeup lover like I’ve been loving my Zoeva flat contour brush lately. Needless to say, Zoeva is definitely a bit pricey that Elysium so I won’t compare them.
All three Elysium contour brushes work nicely but I find three same type of brushes wasn’t necessary within one set. Alpha along is enough for cream or powder contour.
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Fact’s I love about Elysium Brushes:
Initially, I love how these brushes look. The gunmetal wooden barrel is well made and surely gives a luxe feeling. Elysium brushes have two types of bristle, natural and synthetic. Both types of bristles are generously soft, especially I’m impressed with the synthetic bristle ones. they feel incredibly smooth on skin. Each brush is fairly dense, I guess just the way they were purposed. I love the fact that all of these brushes also comes with their own brush guard(I forgot to take snap those), a plastic mesh that helps to keep the brush shape on while drying or anytime.
Facts I don’t appreciate:
…hope you can see the uneven cut!
…uneven cut on synthetic brushes!
I won’t lie, this was very unexpected but I find most of my Elysium brushes doesn’t have a nice and even cut. Due to the ‘not-so-perfect’ cut of the eye brushes (picture above) they poke skin while using, hard to pack product and doesn’t give an even application. Now this ‘cut’ issue is more prominent with eye brushes and natural hair brushes but the synthetic ones also have the same problem but as they are incredibly soft so you don’t really feel that while using.
Quite a few of them also shred bristles frequently while working with them or washing them, they feel not glued inside properly .
My Favorite Elysium Brushes:
My Favorite Eye Brushes by Elysium
My Favorite Face Brushes by Elysium
Selection ($7 / BDT520): It’s the smallest brush in the whole collection. Slightly rounded edge, densely packed short synthetic bristle. Perfect for a cream product. I love using it to smudge my liner and also to apply my lipstick.
Pi ($8 / BDT580): This is my most favorite brush from the whole collection. The shape of it is similar to MAC217, a perfect one to apply and blend crease shadow.
Integral ($9 / BDT620): Its a densely packed synthetic bristle brush with a rounded top. I love using it to apply under eye concealer or my eyelid primer.
Square Root ($12 / BDT850): A natural hair brush with oval top. Not much but dense enough, works great applying blush or bronzer.
Division ($11 / BDT800): Its has kind of duo-fiber feeling to it. The root of the brush is dense but the tip is less dense and soft. The shape of division reminds me of Real Techniques contour brush. I find it appropriate for placing powder under the eye are to set concealer. And obviously, if you have a smaller face you might find it very helpful as a contour brush.
Factorial ($11 / BDT800): It’s a natural hair brush specially meant for highlighter application. Bristles in it are slightly long so it’s flexible to work with highlight powder. Can deposit just the right amount of product in your high points.
Overall thoughts:
I absolutely love how these brushes look and how soft the synthetic one feels, however, I can’t justify their uneven cut. Within the Face or deluxe set, I feel there should’ve some dense brush or just a regular flat foundation brush for foundation application rather than three contour brush. I relly miss a thin round or angle brush for eyeliner or such work within the eye set/deluxe set. If there were a typical foundation brush and an eyeliner brush the deluxe set would have been a complete set.
Looking at the price range and the quality I think it’s better to buy single pieces of Elysium brushes (you can take my favorites as a reference, they’re really good) rather than the whole set. Although, it is possible that my ones are only one that doesn’t have an even cut and not glued inside properly.
Do I recommend them? Yes, of course, I do recommend the one I mentioned as my favorite, their other face brushes according to your need. To be more precise If you’re looking for flat contour brushes then you may consider Elysium contour brushes.
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Shopping Info:
Elysium Deluxe Set (includes all 17 brushes) | $150 / BDT 10,000
Elysium Face Bundle | $110 / BDT 7,200
Elysium Eye Bundle | $45 / BDT 3,200
You can purchase them directly from Elysium Website or if you’re in Bangladesh you can get them from NexGen Limited (authorized reseller of Elysium in BD) PS: Use code ‘GreenStory16‘ to avail 10% off from Elysium website and 5%off from Nexgen.
Hi there, how you doing? If you read my last post on beach holiday essentials, then you know I and husband went to Bali, Indonesia. We just came back after spending a whole week there. Beach holidays are always the best getaway from busy life. I’m obviously refreshed and more inspired to concentrate on work. But before everything I want to share our 7 days 8 nights couple trip (not a travel guide but our Bali adventure) with you guys. While traveling Bali on a budget yet having all the fun was the most exciting part of this trip.
We wanted to visit Bali 2 years back but this year finally got time to escape. First of all, we took Malaysian Airways, found that they’re cheaper than any other domestic airlines, for example, Air Asia. Bigger jet, cheap freight, no headache of luggage weight and so Malaysian Airlines it is.
We did book our hotel via booking.com in Nusa Dua for 7 days and 8 nights (approx 700,0000) but I don’t want to talk about that because I hated their service and food. We choose the hotel because of the sea view but it wasn’t the way we expected either.
We also pre-booked a car (Toyota Agya, airport pickup, and drop) for the whole time (for 1300,000IDR) to avoid all the taxi hassle. And who needs a travel guide when Google Boss is there. We realized over the time, hiring a car was the best decision of this trip, thus we were able to roam around the whole city with an ease.
We choose to stay in Nusa Dua because the area is less crowdy and not far from the beaches. Driving in Bali felt a bit critical to my husband because of the busy traffic, motorbikes all around and narrow roads but he got used to after a while.
Bali is an island so it is unnecessary to say that sea is everywhere. A week is definitely not enough to explore the whole island. From 9 am to 7 pm every day we kept exploring. We didn’t spend much time on the most popular beaches like Kuta or Seminyak beach because those were over crowdy, we could hardly breathe there… phew! Other than that we used very wisely each and every precious minute of our stay in Bali.
Let me give you highlights of Bali attractions. Some are simply breathtaking and some are just over-hyped by people. Alert, it’s about to be picture heavy!
Tanah Lot Temple:
Tanah Lot Temple, Bali
Water Blow in the Tanah Lot Temple, Bali
After washing your face in the Holy Spring water they give a flower and Tika of rice 😉
This is one of the most popular tourist attraction in Bali. The way to get into the temple only arises in low tide so you must visit there at low tide. However, you actually won’t be able to get into the temple or even go up. If you only wash your face with the Holy Spring water (and give a donation) then they’ll allow you to climb two steps of the stairs that are on the side of the temple. We did wash our faces and thought there we will get some better view but no, it’s nothing there actually. Nevertheless, the view of whole Tanah Lot area is beautiful!
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Uluwatu Temple:
Sunset at Uluwatu Temple, Bali
Wall of Uluwatu Temple, Bali
Monkeys at Uluwatu Temple, Bali
Tegenungan Waterfall, Ubud:
Tegenungan Waterfall, Ubud
Tegenungan Waterfall, Ubud
If you visit Bali you must visit this waterfall. It’s in Ubud, just an hour drive from Kuta. The waterfall is huge and powerful, water is super chilling.
Mount Batur Volcano & Natural Hot Spring:
Mount Batur Volcano from Kintamani
Up view of Natural Hot Spring, Mount Batur
Pools for visitor in the name of Natural Hot Spring, Mount Batur
In the base of Mount Batur Volcano
Mount Batur, the sleeping volcano is very popular to adventurous people for tracking. We are not that adventurous so we stayed with the view only. There is also a natural hot spring down in the base of Mount Batur. We were very excited to visit the spring, however, we came back disappointed. There are a few companies that operate the area. They actually made a few little pools and runs the spring water into the pool. You can bathe in the warm water there with safety. But the feeling of getting into the actual spring is far away from that. Moreover, entry fees to there are 1500,000IDR each.
Water Blow, Nusa Dua:
At the edge of Water Blow, Nusa Dua
Water Blow, Nusa Dua
The Beauty of Water Blow, Nusa Dua
Water Blow Beach
Water Blow Beach
Within this one place, Water Blow, there are two things to enjoy. One is how the big wave crashes on the rocks and on the other side there is a nice golden beach. On the beach, you can just lounge with a coconut or can get playing with your surfboard and high wave.
Sanur Fishing Bay:
Sanur Fishing Bay
Sanur Fishing Bay
If you get here in the time of low tide you’ll enjoy the view most. In low tide, all fisherman gets into the seashore to catch fishes. There are a few nice restaurants by the beach, you can have your lunch while enjoying the view and wind blow.
Geger Beach, Bali:
Geger Beach, Bali
Geger Beach, Bali
This is the beach just in front of the most popular Mulia resort. Before visiting Bali picture of the Mulia resort and the white beach caught my eye. Needless to mention, Mulia is expensive to stay but I didn’t want to miss the beach. But when we got there the beach did disappoint me. It’s not white by any means (as you can see in the picture) and quite dirty as well.
Blue Point Beach:
Up view of Blue Point Beach, Bali
Can you see the surfing people? -Blue Point Beach, Bali
The scary stairs to go the beach! -Blue Point Beach, Bali
Blue Point Beach, Bali
This beach was our favorite of all, so blue, so clear, less crowd and one of the best places for surfing. There you’ll need to climb down a bit to reach the sea level. If you don’t surf and stay at the shore level you might get lucky and meet some sea snakes (I did), coral base and small fishes will mesmerize you without diving underwater.
Green Bowl and Nyang Nyang Beach:
Nyang Nyang Beach
From hill-top, Nyang Nyang Beach
Nyang Nyang Beach
Green Bowl Beach
Both of these beaches are amazing, crystal clear water, high waves, and with less crowd. People go there to surf. However, to reach the shore of both you’ll need to climb down pretty high. Where Nyang Nyang beach doesn’t even have any proper stairs to climb down.
Black Sand Beach:
Black Sand Beach, Bali
Black Sand Beach, Bali
Did you know that there is a black sand beach in Bali just within the town? I didn’t! There is also another one called Lovina Beach which is far from the town, almost in the other part of the island. We kind of accidentally found this black sand beach. This beach literally made my Bali adventure fulfilled!
It’s in the Sanur area, we were looking for Sanur fishing bay and found this one. The beach doesn’t come on the tourist list, it felt kinda abandoned but trust me it is exotic. I’ve never seen any black sand beach before. When we arrived at the beach I thought, ‘what?! why is it so dirty?’ Once we got close then I got stunned seeing the shiny black sand. The sparkly black sand and blue horizon will give you another level of indulgence.
For the location just google, Kebun Bunga, Sanur, there you’ll find an empty field and a narrow road marking beach. Follow the road and you’ll find the Black Sand Beach of Bali.
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The city of Bali and other activities:
City Of Bali, Indonesia
Scalpture Shop
-City Of Bali, Indonesia
Glass Scalpture Shop
-City Of Bali, Indonesia
Scalpture Shop
-City Of Bali, Indonesia
BeachWalk Mall Bali
Balinese Cultural Dance
evening chiller 🙂
My dreamcatcher!
YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick
If you roam around the city you’ll see the whole city of Bali is adorned with gates and statues. you’ll find a lot of shops and places that make stone, wood, glass and sand sculpture. Those fine creation of sculpture surely blow your mind away and you’ll want them to bring back with you but those are huge to bring back hehe.
If you want to get familiar with Balinese culture you must watch their cultural shows, have some local Balinese food. Nightlife is also happening part of the city but only in the beach area. Like Kuta beach or Seminyak area stays awake for pretty long. Some restaurant and clubs have the beach facing terrace, you can relax the with a drink. You can also discover the malls and local handicraft markets.
Yes, it was a budget travel to Bali but we’re not backpacking either. So, getting some souvenir was a must. There were a lot of choices for souvenirs. I picked up a dream catcher (50,000IDR), a few fridge magnet(15,000IDR each), a couple of shell tray(30,000IDR) and as a makeup lover I also picked up some makeup.
Apart from mesmerizing beaches, the island is also very popular for temples. There was also another twin waterfall that we wanted to visit. Lembongan island, dolphin spot were calling us so badly but we couldn’t manage time. Although we weren’t able to visit every possible spot, we did enjoy out Bali adventure to the fullest.
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Tips on saving money in a Bali Trip
Don’t forget to bargain for whatever you buy except the fixed priced mall/stores. We bought water bottles from 45,000IDR to 2500IDR. The asking price of the dream catcher was 250,000IDR and my husband was too shy to call 50,000IDR for that but ultimately without any word they sold it on 50K! Also if you book your hotel early, a month or so then you can get a cheaper rate.
This is my happy time of the year! Why? …because, it’s a beach holiday time and tomorrow I’m heading to Bali, Indonesia. It’s been a year we went somewhere out of the country. You can guess right how excited I am? Me and Mr. husband both are pretty much bored with regular life and didn’t want to skip this year’s summer holiday. So we took time and planned a 7day trip to Bali, away from work and everything, just relaxing by the beach enjoy as much as possible. Yes, expect me to be off here in blog for the next week because I’m still not that blogger who will schedule post 😛
So before starting my trip I wanted to share with you guys my five beach holiday essential that are must have to me for a beach holiday. Obviously, I’m taking a shit load of things with me apart from these five but these are the things that I can’t think of skipping. Not only for the holiday but I adore these 5 products in my daily life as well. That’s why I call them my beach holiday essential.
Without any further talking let’s get into my 5 Beach Holiday Essential…
ShiSeido Stage Works Powder Shake | RM80
Where beach-holiday meant to wear beachy-wave hair but this time I’m planning to carry my natural hair texture which is plan straight. Due to color and bleach, I have pretty bad hair condition now so I’m avoiding heat or any strong hair product as much as possible. Shiseido Powder Shake has been a life save and a go to hair product since last year when my hair stylist introduced it to me. It’s a lightweight solution of powder that helps to give hair volume boost as well as a bit of hold and texture. But the best part is hair remains natural looking after using it with that added volume and texture, prevent frizzy locks and no crunchiness or else. You literally can’t tell if you’re wearing any powder spray.
However, using this product in a right way might be a bit tricky. You just need a few spritz and you’re done. Over spraying with make your hair tacky.
Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray | (shop here)
Without any doubt, I’m a big fan of Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray. You must have seen me using it in my makeup tutorials. De-Slick comes along with that in my favorite list. This one especially meant to control oil. As because this is summer now and weather in Bali will be pretty hot I’m totally expecting some oil-flood and sweat. So as a precaution/solution my Urban Decay De-Slick makeup setting spray is a must have on my beach holiday essential list.
Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint | (shop here)
I’m planning not to wear any heavy makeup this time throughout my holiday. I want to look relaxed and casual all the way and want to spend as less time as possible on makeup but enjoy my time. So rather taking any of my favorite foundation I’m taking my recent favorite Nars Skin Tint/ BB cream with me. This has a velvety matte finish which doesn’t dry out skin but gives a glowy look, also keeps skin oil free for quite long. Plus point, Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint has SPF 30/PA+++ in it which makes it as a perfect base product when you’ll be under the sun.
GlamGlow YouthCleanse Daily Exfoliating Cleanser | (shop here)
I’ve been recently trying out this GlamGlow Cleanser and needless to say I’ve been loving it a lot. It cleanses so well also gives a mild exfoliation. Thus, in the morning, you get a fresh face to work with and at the end of the day, it removes all the dirt or dead skin cells from the face.
Biore UV Perfect Spray | RM40
Heading for a beach holiday and there is no sunblock in my Beach Holiday Essential list? Is it even possible? Biore has always been my favorite brand for sunscreen. The one I regularly use is Biore UV Aqua Rich Sunblock. Considering the ease of application I’m taking the spray version of it with me, so I can carry it with me to the beach and spray it all over whenever I want. Biore UV Perfect Spray has SPF 50+/PA++++ in it, protects from sun damage gives no white cast, completely oily or grease free.
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So those are my 5 must have as beach holiday essential. Do you spot any favorite?
Though I haven’t had many difficulties to sort out my essential but not I’m tussled up sorting out other skincare in a travel jars and, needless to mention, there is other makeup as well. I want to be so relaxed but I find this is the hardest thing to sort out minimal makeup …haha!
So beautiful, that’s it for today! will be back writing from next week. Nonetheless, you can stay is touch with me via my FB and Instagram. Defo I’m gonna post some snaps from Bali! If you have any query feel free to drop me a line in the comment box below 🙂
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