Saturday 31 August 2019

August: Lately I've Been Loving

We were on holiday two weeks in August on Korcula Island and Dubrovnik in Croatia - both very different but lovely places. So you'll find my August loves mainly centre around these memories..


We had a great time at Foodies Festival Edinburgh at the start of August. The sun shone and I drank copious amounts of Prosecco!




We stayed 10 nights on beautiful Korcula Island in Croatia and had a wonderfully relaxing time (2hr ferry from Dubrovnik Port). We stayed at boutique hotel The Fabris - Luxury Inn which was the perfect base for exploring. Our room while bijou was beautiful and we had a lovely little balcony to people watch and watch the world go by!




We hopped on the local bus to Lumbarda which has the only sandy beaches on the island and visited the three local wineries - which was lots of fun!


We thoroughly enjoyed the wines (not the herbal grappa!) from Popic Winery where they were very friendly and we learned a lot about their wines. We picked the tasting with local cheeses - would highly recommend! They produce round about 10k bottles of their GRK so it's unlikely you'll find it available to buy in the UK (unfortunately!) We did pick up a bottle of their first press of their delicious Virgin Olive oil however. 





Literally next door is Winery GRK and here we enjoyed their wine selection with a snack. We loved their wines too and picked up a bottle of their cherry liqueur to bring home.





BIRE Winery welcomed guests during set timescales so we had a wander around the village before visiting later that afternoon.


Again, we had tastings of all the wines with a delicious selection of treats which complemented the wines very well. I especially loved their GRK.


There were two star places we ate in Korcula - Aterina and Nigra both with amazing food, wine and service. Below are some of the dishes we ate:

Aterina - large plate of everything (so good we had this again!)

Aterina - Basil Cake (for dessert - savory pudding) - just WOW

Nigra - Vege Terina - eggplant - zuccini - roasted peppers - goats cheese

Nigra - Shrimps in Tempura - goat's curd - cherry tomatoes - rucola - pesto

Nigra - Fish of the Day - Amberjack - chard - marinated red onion - beetroot powder

And of course, I had to have a daily Aperol Spritz (normally late morning!)



Beach Bar Dodo in Dubrovnik!


I also loved while walking around Korcula Town seeing lots of homegrown produce in people's gardens..




We had 4 nights in Dubrovnik before flying home loved staying at the very luxurious Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik (I nearly cried when I saw our glorious room and balcony). It really had the wow factor (and great air-con!) As we had an executive room we had access to the lounge which offers breakfast, mid morning, mid afternoon and evening snacks (evening time they offer a range of alcoholic drinks too).




 Executive Lounge


It seemed even hotter in Dubrovnik than it'd been on the island - so lots of beer and water was needed! I also had the most incredible Rose G&T at Gradska Kavana Arsenal Restaurant - I'll need to try and recreate this at home!


If you are in Dubrovnik the War Photo exhibition is well worth a visit (it'll take about an hour). It features photos from the Vietnam War and the end of Yugoslavia which cover the wars in Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Kosovo as well as limited edition prints. Some of the photos featured will stay with me forever.


Some snaps of Dubrovnik..




We also ate twice at the fabulous Bosnian Restaurant Taj Mahal - which I highly recommend (and the Bosnian coffee (like Turkish) is fab).




Rounding up my August loves are a couple of beauty products (and some original artwork).


*gifted/productsample I fell head over heels for 001 Skincare's Alpha-Paradise Cleansing Dew*. See my review HERE.


*gifted/productsample Every Kure Bazaar product I try I love. Their Ginger Lip & Nail Balm* is fantastic. See my review HERE.


I was really pleased to pick up this stunning piece of original artwork which is entitled "Agate Slice" by Emily McSevich Fine Art which I think is absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to get it framed.

What have you been loving in August?

Friday 30 August 2019

August Empties

I wasn't going to do any August empties with being away 2 weeks out of four (and recycling when I was there) but it would feel odd not to, so here goes.


Schmidt's Jasmine Tea Natural Deodorant 75g which is one of my favourite scents. Keeps me dry all day and I love the formulation and scent. Will buy again.

Bodhi & Birch Avo Bao Cleansing Balm mini which is the perfect size for holidays (15g) and came in the Superfoods Series Mini Discovery Kit. See my review HERE.

KurlySue's sumptuous Organic Shea & Argan Oil Body Butter mini came in my June Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box. See my review HERE. Would buy again.

This teeny pot of Glamglow's Waterburst Hydrated Glow Moisturizer was a Feel Unique pick'n'mix sample. I loved its light gel texture and fresh scent. Would maybe buy full size.

My final item this month is Elemis's Tan Accelerator 125ml which helps to prepares the skin for summer holidays by stimulating natural melanin production. I use it 2 weeks before I go away and find it helps to prevent prickly heat and help produce a light golden tan. Sure to buy again.

What have you been using up this month?

Thursday 29 August 2019

*Love Lula Beauty Box: August 2019

*productsample Love Lula's monthly beauty box is sent to me as one of their accredited bloggers. All thoughts are genuine and reviews will follow!


I received my August Love Lula Beauty Box on Tuesday after my holidays so these are just my initial thoughts. Fuller reviews will follow. 

I must say however I loved the INIKA Lip Glaze in Rosewood (which is such a wearable shade) from very first go! It deeply nourishes as well as giving the lips a pop of very wearable colour (and it tastes of oranges!) It normally retails at £18 and the whole box costs £14.95 a month in the UK recurring making this the monthly beauty box to BUY. The whole box this month is worth £61!



From newish brand at Love Lula we have Nature's Kitchen Gentle Therapy Rescue Cream (50ml - £8.99) which can help to reduce inflammations, skin flare ups, eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis along with helping to soothe sunburn or other irritations. It feels really nice on the skin with a neutral scent (I could have done with this on holiday!)


From Laidbare we have their In Safe Hands Hand Cream (50ml - £6.99) which intensely nourishes dry hands (it's perfect for summertime when the sun makes our hands drier) or after gardening. This is the perfect hand cream to take into autumn too! I love it.


I'm a huge fan of Madara and am never disappointed to see one of their products in a box. This month we've received their Deep Moisture Eye Contour Cream (15ml - £26) which has a light texture which absorbs instantly around the eye area. Looking forward to testing this out.


Rounding up the box this month is a sachet of Ayumi Turmeric & Argan Oil Body Wash (10ml) which is the perfect try-me-size/for holidays/the gym.

What are your thoughts this month?