Thebeautyfoodie

The Skin Wardrobe Must Haves

My must-haves from The Skin Wardrobe? Good question!

It’s no secret that I have fallen, hook line and sinker, in love with The Skin Wardrobe, a Kiwi-owned business that imports Scandi Beauty.

To think this all started when The Skin Wardrobe Catherine got chatting to a mutual friend, Melissa at the school gates (thank for the intro Melissa!). Catherine subsequently reached out via Insta to say hi and ask if I’d like to try a blush brush! The rest is history. Fast forward, I own a substantial amount of the range (some gifted, some purchased myself). I reach for The Skin Wardrobe products on the daily.

Here’s my The Skin Wardrobe Must Haves…

Side note, I tried to pick my top 5 products, but couldn’t… So here are my top 11 instead.

the skin wardrobe must haves (more…)

Anti-chafing shorts: Say bye to chub rub

Chub rub shorts. Anti-chafing shorts – basically shorts that save your inner thighs from getting chafed from chub when wearing skirts and dresses. Such preventative measures mean you don’t walk around on holiday walking like a cowboy e.g. putting a big downer on life. A lot of the places online focus more on shorts for men for holidays, like those you can see here, but having these during such times can be a real lifesaver.

As a curvy girl, ahead of a work trip to India & Singapore (Delhi would be 40+ degrees) I needed anti-chafing shorts. I got some and road tested ’em. Here’s my findings.

Background – Anti Chafing Shorts

I put the call out a few months back and put out the call on Facebook and Instagram: “I’m going away to a very hot climate and don’t want chub rub. I need some anti-chafing shorts: What do you recommend?” Bugger me, this struck a chord: I got quite the response!

Armed with All the Intel, I set off to Tauranga and Mt Maunganui with my dear friend Portia (and her son – he joined in helping!) on an Anti-Chafing Shorts Shopping Mission. I didn’t bother to look in Rotorua, frankly, we are limited for shopping options – let’s not go there. Suffice to say there are one thousand reasons people should visit Rotorua (check out this blog post), but shopping is not on that list!

Here’s the suggestions I received for anti-chafing shorts:

anti-chafing shorts

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Bali Blog: Where to stay

Villa Desa Roro
Villa Desa Roro

I’d been to Bali on various business trips, coming in on a Business Visa Bali but never as a tourist! I figured it was about time I enjoyed the Island for it’s most well-known features. So, last July we took off to Bali with friends: 7 nights at a fancy villa, then another week, just hubby and I: No kid. Just us… Bali bliss. This villa wasn’t exactly like the luxurious beachfront villas you would find on Isle Blue, but it definitely had everything we needed for a relaxing time. We enjoyed our holiday so much we are going back to Bali in August, this time with our boy, for a week. Since that holiday I’ve had so many people reach out asking for tips and recommendations. Questions include ‘where to stay?’ Or, ‘do we choose a villa or a hotel?’ are key FAQs. There’s an abundance of accommodation options in Bali and trying to decide where to stay can be mind-boggling – I know, I’ve been there! So, here’s a post that I hope might help if you are trying to navigate how to holiday in Bali.

Where to stay? What location?

Firstly, a disclaimer, I don’t have all the answers. We were in Bali for just under two weeks and we stayed in four different locations, three different places in Seminyak and at a resort in Ubud. There are a whole heap more locations in Bali that you could stay, including plenty of budget accommodation options – but I can’t tell you about these: I haven’t been there yet.

With that out of the way, knowing what I know now about Bali if this is your first trip I’d recommend staying half of your time in Seminyak or Canguu, then heading northeast into the cooler climes of the mountain town of Ubud.

What’s the deal with each location? Here’s a breakdown – of the only four locations I know! (more…)

Gooey Chocolate Torte

Gooey Chocolate torteI whipped up this Gooey Chocolate Torte last night ahead of The Neighbours coming over for dinner (and ahead of a quick trip to the pub for pre-dinner drinks).

Now, when some food bloggers say “they whipped X up” I do a slight eye roll. Rarely, IMHO, do foodie bloggers whip something up. However, I promise, this WAS whipped up.  It took 7 mins to prep then 35 mins to bake.  Now, I’m sharing the recipe as I posted the steps as I made it on my Instagram story – and never have I had as many messages as since I had Botox in Bali.  I personally find reading recipes on Insta a pain in the bum… So because I’m occasionally thoughtful, here’s the recipe here too!

So here’s the recipe for my Gooey Chocolate Torte which takes extra brownie points for being made in ONE POT = Sod all dishes my friends. You are welcome.

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Pulled Pork Hawker Rolls

pulled pork hawker rollsPulled Pork Hawker Rolls: My new favourite food.

When we went to Queenstown on holiday in January a number of blog followers told me we had to go to Josh Emmett’s Madam Woo. We listened. Unfortunately, we didn’t have Hawker Rolls and I got told off. Apparently, these are “the schizz”. 

Back up the bus. What’s a hawker roll? Malaysian street food, in the form of a deliciously decadent fried roti filled with the freshest, tastiest meats, veggies and sauces.  Think humble wrap, or a burrito, on steriods, that’s what a hawker roll is.

So, as I can follow rules sometimes, we went back the next day and had Hawker Rolls for lunch. I died and went to culinary heaven.  Yes, I wholeheartedly concur, these were ‘The Schizz’.  

On our return home,  with me still happily reminiscing my first Hawker Roll mouthful, I played around in the kitchen. Eventually, thanks in part to my Aussie friend Tam who sent me this amazeballs pulled pork recipe (which I slightly adapted), I came up with this tasty dish: Pulled Pork Hawker Rolls.  The last three dinners I’ve cooked for friends has been this: It is both a showstopper and crowd pleaser!   

Now, I know the recipe might look complicated, but it’s not: It’s one of those ‘whack it in the slow cooker and forget about it for a while’ type dishes. In fact, when I made this on Sunday, I got everything prepped, popped it in the slow cooker and sent Hubby a text asking him to turn it on at 12 noon. Off I went to the beach, returning four hours later to delicious cooking smells wafting through my house. This is my kind of dinner party dish. (more…)

My Mini Sephora USA Haul

Sephora mini haulWalking into Sephora at Houston’s at Galleria Mall a few weeks back took me back to being a Kiwi Kid in the late 1970s.  Remember when you scored $2 and you got to go to the dairy? All those lollies that were one and two cents? Remember the excitement? Well that’s the same feeling as I had at Sephora in Houston. Only now I’m an adult and am in ownership of a credit card. 

Back to Sephora: Where to look first? Here’s my thought process “Holy crap, they’ve got Anastasia Beverly Hills makeup. I can see Charlotte Tilbury. Is that Tarte? Is that a Dyson Hairdryer? Where’s the basket? Do they have Pillow Talk? Shit a brick. I’m going to need to prioritise”. I kid you not: My heart rate quickened.  But that’s OK: I was always going to do a mini haul. I’d SAVED for this.

So, after a lot of anticipation (and hours of research), I bought some goodies – arguably, not as many as you’d expect! I was adamant: I was only buying product we can’t get easily here in NZ. Besides, saving some dimes was mission critical so my savings would stretch to my new Madewell Medium Transport Tote and Michael Kors watch.

So, what did my mini Sephora haul look like? More importantly, after three solid weeks of research product usage, how am I feeling about the products? Stand by caller, keep reading. (more…)