My Time in the Caribbean: Barbados

This is the final part of my mini blog series about my Caribbean adventures. If you’ve read my other ones- thank you! Il leave my other links down below!

Barbados was the last new island we visited before we headed back to Montserrat for our final couple of weeks. I didn’t know a lot about it, my only point of comparison is that episode of friends ‘ The One in Barbados’ in Series 9, where they all go for Ross’ presentation..considering what I was doing could’ve have been any different to that, not sure that’s a good point of reference to be honest. Anyway I was so excited, in my head it was the classic postcard island!

When we arrived I could immediately feel the difference in the heat, out of all the islands we went to, Barbados was closest to the equator and you could tell! The immense humidity couldn’t be escaped, nevertheless I was still immensely enjoying being in the sunshine.When we arrived at our accommodation, our room wasn’t ready yet, so we dropped our bags and headed down to the beach, literally only 2 minutes away from where we were staying. Good start. We had read about many lovely beaches in Barbados and the one closest to us was no different. Dover Beach was insane! I’ve never seen a beach like, the water was turquoise and the sand was white and on top of that you could see sea turtles popping up to breath ever so close to the shore! (check out my blogpost all about turtles!). I was feeling very excited to be staying in such a beautiful place.

The location where we were staying turned out to be a very cruise orientated location so the average age of a tourist was +50, not ideal when you are looking to meet people your own age but nevertheless we ended up at this beach bar on our first day, and met the owner Kay. She is born and breed Bajan and we immediately hit it off. Her sense of humour was so sharp and blunt it completely got rid of any awkwardness you get when you first meet someone. Over our time she become a really good friend, and she helped us experience Barbados to it’s full potential from a local’s point of view.

We had 18 nights in Barbados and we really wanted to make the most it. We had saved a lot of money from Martinique as we didn’t do many touristy things, so we knew we had the funds to explore Barbados fully. Our first week or so, we spent researching, chilling at the beaches and having drinks at Kay’s beach bar. We had asked Kay about what she recommends we do that is the best value for money! She suggested the ‘Animal Flower Cave’ at the top of the island. There is another cave, some say more famous, on the island called ‘Harrison’s Cave’ but this one didn’t appeal to us as much, so we went with our instinct and booked the ‘Animal Flower Cave’.

We thought the best way to do it would be to hire a car and drive there, that way you see the whole East Coast (we were staying on the South West) and it turned out to be cheaper than doing it as part of a tour. The drive was…stressful. Pot holes everywhere, unknown roads and way of direction and myself who hasn’t driven in a good few years. But we made the most of it and still had a good journey! It was amazing seeing the East Coast, you really get a different view of the island. Finding the Cave was pretty easy, and 3 hours later we had arrived. We didn’t really know what to expect but any expectations I did have, it blew them out of the water. It was stunning! The rock formations and beautiful view of the ocean out from the cave was honestly amazing. They were loads of rock pools with sea anemones everywhere. Sometimes you are allowed to swim in the biggest one but the day we were there the swell was too bad so we couldn’t..so gutted. It was still an amazing day and I’m so glad we went.

Another must do of Kay’s was Oistins Fish Fry. This is a Friday night Fish Barbecue essentially with entertainment and souvenir stalls. I am so glad we got to go with Kay! As a tourist I feel you would be lost with how it worked and it was so so busy I reckon a lot of people give up. But Kay need exactly was to do, she got us sat down really quick, beers on the way and even helped us choose the best fish they had to offer. I got the swordfish and Peter (my boyfriend) got barracuda. It was cooked to perfection. I’ve never had it before so I have no clue how it is supposed to be cooked but my word it was delicious. Quite a meaty fish but still so flaky and moist with tonnes of flavour. Served with potatoes and red beans it was the perfect Bajan meal. After eating we went exploring the rest of the market, grabbed a few beers and watched some of the entertainment. Very dance orientated with music impersonators aswell. It was such a fun night and I’m glad we got a chance to experience it, true Bajan style. I definitely recommend if you are staying close to Oistins in Barbados to check it out, the fish alone is worth it!

On our chill days (which were 80% of the days) we spent at beaches. As I said Dover Beach was the one closest to us which was lovely but also it was incredibly busy! As it was surrounded by massive hotel complexes, people staying their could step out of their hotel room straight onto the beach. So we were determined to find our own little paradise where there were far less people and that’s exactly what we did. About 10 minutes down the road from Dover Beach was Worthing Beach. It was so tucked away it doesn’t surprise me people didn’t bother to find it when the other beach was so much more convenient. For us it was so worth it!

Our first time there is was basically deserted, a few people right at the start of the beach but as we wondered down there were less and less to the point where we had, what felt like, our own private beach. It was just what we wanted. The water had a slight swell so not great for snorkelling but that was only where we were. Paradise. This was the beach were I saw my turtles- read about my experience on the link above! It immediately become our new go to beach and we didn’t go back to Dover! For me, it was what you imagine a desert island beach to look like as child, bright blue water, white sand, palm trees and turtles! Can you imagine anything better!

That is what we did in Barbados in a nutshell, if you can call that a nutshell! If you made it this far- thank you for reading!

Please give it a like or a comment!

Have you been to Barbados? Where did you stay? What did you do? I’d love to know!

My time in the Caribbean: Martinique

My time in the Caribbean : Montserrat

My Go To Makeup After 4 months of a Bare Face!

Helloooo makeup lovers, it feels so good to be doing a beauty post, I’ve not being trying anything new or even wearing makeup as I’ve been away, so it’s very nice to start doing it again. I thought it would be really interesting to talk about what I put on my face the first time I put makeup back on after having a completely bare face for 4 months! See what I still love, what’s changed and get the creative makeup juices flowing again!

I’m going to start with eyebrows, I always do my eyebrows first as I’m pretty messy so I like to get them out the way then I can tidy them up with concealer when I get to that step (I also think it’s the most boring BUT most important step). I used the NYX Tame & Frame Brow Pomade in brunette … now it was a little dried up which is understandable as it’s been untouched for so long but even considering that, it did a pretty good job. It is my perfect brow colour and I really like the finish once you’ve brushed it out. This pomade was the first pomade I’d ever tried, and I was a bit scared when I first started using it as it can be so easy to over do it. But once I’d got used to it, I just love the finished look. Very clean. And when it comes to eyebrows, I like them pretty well groomed.

Next, I went in my primer, it was a super cheapy one, the Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer I first picked this up on a an offer they had on Rimmel like 3 years ago, 2 for £10 or something, anyway I loved it and have been repeat buying since! It really filled in my pores and despite it being a bright white when you apply it to your face, it doesn’t give you a white cast or show under your foundation. Plus even though I can have oily skin, it was really nice and moisturising and didn’t add to any of my oiliness.

Carrying on with face products, I then went in with foundation. Now, I had to go and purchase a darker foundation as I had caught a cheeky tan on my trip. I purchased the Elf Flawless Finish Foundation in almond … I have wanted to try Elf products forever, and when I came home and walked into my Superdrug, allllllll the makeup stands had been redone with a few added extra brands thrown in there- it was so exciting! I managed to only pick up 2 things, the foundation and the Elf Highlighter in Blush Gems. I had heard Kathleen Lights talk about these Elf products and I really value her opinion so I thought may as well give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised (just because Kathleen as dry skin and I have oily) the foundation still worked an absolute treat. Blended really nicely, left a natural finish and only being £7.50 can’t go wrong really!

Next, I grabbed my concealer to go under my eyes and to highlight the centre of my face. I used Bourjois Radience Reveal Concealer in beige. This concealer truly does what it says, it illuminates, corrects and adds hydration. Even though I have oily skin, under my eyes can get quite dry during the winter, so this bit of added moisture is really nice. The colour was spot on and blended really nicely. I always use a damp Real Technique Miracle Complexion Sponge when blending out both foundation and concealer just to get the most natural look. Be careful with this concealer though as I have found it can oxidise quite badly, it only worked for me when I got back as my skin tone had changed. It was wayyyy to dark for me when I’m at my palest! I then set my whole face down with … This powder is such an old school classic, an oldie but a goodie! For me, it does the job, doesn’t crease and keeps me pretty matte but not flat matte Rimmel Stay Matte Powder if you get me? However I hate the packaging!! Every single one I’ve ever owned has cracked and broken within a week, so annoying. But it won’t stop me using it.

Moving onto contour and highlight, yet again I’m using an oldie but a goodie for contour. The Benefit Hoola Bronzer is still one of my favourites for bronzing and giving that slight shadow for a nice subtle day time contour. Mine is getting so old now so definitely going to repurchase however I would love to try something different so let me know if you have any bronzer suggestions!! Yet again, I’m not a fan off the packaging, I like really sleek slim packaging, and this little box it comes in does just drive me a bit mad. For highlight, as I’ve already mentioned, I used the Elf Highlighter in Blush Gems as it was a new purchase of mine. Katheleen Lights (Check out her channel!) said when she first used it, she was really disappointed as it didn’t give off a good glow, but when she scarped the top layer of, it was much easier to work with and now gives an amazing subtle glow! I followed for instructions and she was so right, just the perfect amount of glow. However, I feel the colour I got was a little to pink for me, going to go back and buy one with more gold/pearl tones. They are super cheap so might even buy one of each colour. Thanks Kathleen!

Onto the eyes, I had already primed my eyelids with the concealer I applied so didn’t see it necessary to add a primer on top as I was only going to put a bit of shadow on. I used my Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette and basically just repeatedly blended colours ‘Milk Chocolate’ and ‘Semi-Sweet’ into my crease, with a bit of ‘Salted Caramel’ as my transition shade. I have no bad things to say about this palette, it is worth every penny, the colours are incredible, they blend like you’ve sat there for hours doing it when it actual fact you just chucked them on, AND it smells like chocolate…like c’mon. Seriously. Love it. All I did next was whack on some mascara, my favourite is the Maybelline Lash Sensational. I am so bad at trying new mascaras, that when I find one that keeps me lashes curled aswell as sepearated and long it is very very unlikely I’m going to switch to a different one.

Finally, my favourite step, lips! I had gone very natural really so didn’t know if I wanted to keep the subtle look going or add a pop off colour. In the end I decided to keep it subtle  and go with MAC Modesty. This lipstick is such a cute colour, natural and so moisturising (forever trying to keep those chapped winter lips at bay). I love how it’s the kind of colour you can just slap on without a mirror. It doesn’t last the longest as it’s a cremesheen formula but if you’re anything like me, you love applying lipstick so it doesn’t matter to me if I have to reapply!

So guys, (if you’ve made it this far well done) that is what I first put on my face after not having makeup for 4 months! I think it’s quite interesting, it shows you what my real favourite products are as I just gravitated towards them first. It is so nice to be writing about makeup again. I’m hopefully going to be doing a recent skincare routine too at some point.

Let me know what your winter makeup favourites are and what I should try next!

Thanks so much for reading x

Reality Check

‘ I wrote this in on Thursday when I landed back in the UK but I forgot to post it’

I’ve got a completely spontaneous, quite a ramble of a post today. I am currently writing this on my iPad Notes in the car on my way back from Gatwick up to Yorkshire listening to relentless Christmas bargains and cheesy adverts on the radio. I’ve had like a mini epiphany (if that is the right word?) and I just wanted to write down what I was feeling. I’ve been away in the Caribbean for 4 months, I’ve seen a few different islands and met such a variety of people living in these third world countries. And you know when people say ‘travel broadens the mind’, it is so so true! I feel like coming back to this consuming nation, sometimes you forget what really is important, and visiting these places has really opened my eyes and made me realise.

Driving on the M25 feeling like a robot in a Black Mirror episode. Being in the Caribbean while the devastating outcomes of hurricane Irma and Maria were people’s reality, and talking to evacuees and people that lost their homes and businesses, it’s really made me think about what’s important. I know this may be a bit of a deep post for some people but I just think you have to explore as much as you can as I believe it can be a bit of a reality check, and that’s why I love travelling so much. Like don’t get me wrong, I like things and I like to shop but having possessions doesn’t stop me going anyway or doing anything, it’s just a luxury we have and should appreciate. It’s just a completely different world. That’s all.

Never stop exploring ~ Always discovering ~ Meet people and help people

 

Thanks for reading x

Meet my new dog!

This is such a crazy story! Here’s a little background to why this is such an unforeseen story. I have loved dogs…not even loved…been obsessed with dogs since I can remember! I always, always wanted one growing up and would consistently ask for every birthday and every Xmas (also on the list was high heels-always wanting to be older and cooler). But never got one, because mainly my Mum is not a fan of animals at all. She’s not scared of them per say but definitely tries to avoid them. So having one in the house was never an option. I finally came to terms with it when I was maybe 17, and decided I would just get my own dog when I had moved out and got my own place. So I was mentally prepared to be without a cute little pup for however many years I lived at my family home.

If you’ve read either of my recent travel posts (more coming soon…) you’ll know I’ve been in the Caribbean since the start of August. 2 months doing conservation work on Montserrat and 2 months travelling. When I was on the conservation project, the guys on the site introduced me to all of their friends they had off site. One example is our friend Charley. She runs a dive centre on the island (if you’re a keen diver and want to travel: Click the link!) and is a active conservationist, always planning beach/reef cleans, trying to inspire locals on the island to save the coral reefs and her main objective is to be as waste-free as possible. I really admire her, she is such a hard worker. On top of running her own business all on her own, she has 4 dogs, a horse and a goat to look after. I know! All of which had been abandoned on the island.

I first met Charley on my first Saturday in Montserrat as she was hosting a karaoke party and invited us all round to…well sing if you can call it that. But to be honest most of us tried our hardest to avoid it. At this time she had just obtained her newest addition to her 4 puppy pack- Pea. Pea was only about 4 months old at this point, so still pretty small and very excitable. I immediately loved her, she was so energetic and playful, just so cute! So anyway, time passed and suddenly we are nearly at the end off our 2 months working in Montserrat, all ready to explore the Caribbean, this is when Charley had decided that 4 dogs (on top of everything else) was wayyyy to much to handle so she was looking for a new home for sweet little Pea. I didn’t even think twice about asking my family, as I just knew what the answer was going to be.

Lets jump forward about 3 weeks (beginning of October), I slyly dropped Charley’s dilemma into conversation with my family back home, and they were totally up for adopting Pea!!! I couldn’t believe my luck!! I’ve managed to help a friend out as she was struggling so much in finding a home suitable for this pretty pup AND I get my own little doggo! I’m so so excited to get training her and have her as my own! I’m thinking about blogging the ‘Pup updates’, I’m imagining some funny stories will come out of me trying to keep her under control!

My little Pea pod

I am now in my last week off being in the Caribbean, it has been the most incredible trip and I’ve learnt so much, and now on top of that I have my very own Caribbean pooch to come home with me and remind me of it.

I know this has been a bit of a long winded explanation, but it’s just one of those things that I never thought would happen. And I’m so happy! I’m flying home from the Caribbean with a puppy- magical!

If you are ever in my situation: here are my main tips for transporting an animal (there is soooooooo much paperwork!!)

• Do your research! There is so much you need to know and so many different variables depending on place, transport, type of animal.
• Get ahead of the game! I started to get stuff ready over 2 months before I leave to go home and I’m on my last week now and I’m still getting stuff organised.
• Be honest and take your time! Don’t try and hide anything under the rug, there could be massive charges when you reach the other side. I knew people that did the same thing I’m doing but missed out a bit of a particular form and it cost them £700.

Thanks for reading x