Christmas Nails & A Little Review of A New Nail Salon!

 I've probably mentioned this before, but I love getting my nails done. I'm not always going to the salon, it's a very rare occasion, so when I do it's usually to get my nails done. Combine that love with the excitement of Christmas, you've got a happy, happy Emily. 

So yesterday, I got my festive nails done and I absolutely adore them. I tried a new nail salon here in Colombo and I was so impressed with them that I felt I needed to share my experience. 

I found Noeline's on Instagram last year, (they've only open for a year), and I had been meaning to head to them for my next nail appointment, but I never actually got around to it. So when Mum said it's time to get our festive nails done the other day, I said "to Noeline's". 

Upon arriving, we were able to meet the owner herself, Noeline, who was absolutely wonderful. Truly, she is a treat. We had a chat with her, she offered us hot chocolate (which of course I took) and was utterly accommodating, checking on all her customers. The salon was packed with customers in the best way, which instantly gave you the impression of how good their services are. Not only do they offer nail services, but also waxing, lash and eyebrow services, facials and more. 

Mum and I got ourselves the Signature Mani and Signature Pedi with gel, which I haven't had for ages. The service we had from our nail technicians was extremely good, we were truly pampered and they were very attentive. Mum got herself a deep red plum colour on both her nails and feet, whilst I got a super Christmassy red on my toes (because Christmas) and I continued the festivities on my fingers, but still kept them minimal and on aesthetic. 

I don't do acrylics or extensions anymore because they ruined my nails years ago, considering my nails were always weak to begin with. But now, my natural nails are super strong and so I decided on gel on my naturals. In typical Emily fashion, half my nails broke 3 days before I got my nails done, which slightly compromised my design intent, however we managed to make the gold glitter french tips work and I truly love them. 

The quality of the nail work is brilliant and I'm really impressed. It makes total sense as to why the place is packed with appointments. I plan to definitely recommend this place to anyone I know, but also to you readers. If you are looking for your next nail salon in Colombo, look no further than Noeline's. 

Now I plan to continue just looking at my nails in awe and talk with exaggerated hands for the rest of the festive season. 

Check out Noeline's on Instagram and TikTok, as well as all the services they offer on their website. 

How are you getting your nails done this festive season? I would love to know! 

I hope you're all staying safe and well. 

Lots of love,

Emily xx

Staycation At Karpaha Sands, Kalkudah - Hotel Review

Ever since COVID-19 had us confined to the comfort of our homes, we've wanted to escape them. Whether it was just to take a trip to your favourite restaurant, see your friends or travel the world, we were all itching to do it. As the world tentatively opens up again, I'm still cautious as to whether or not international travel is the best option. But I knew I wanted to travel, somewhere. Lucky for me, I get to live half of my life on a tropical island in the middle of the Indian Ocean with endless possibilities of places to visit. So we took a trip from the West Coast of Sri Lanka to the East for few days at the end of July as our first trip since COVID-19 and let me tell you, it was the best few days of 2020 (so far).

Normally when we travel within Sri Lanka, we have our staple places and one of those is Jungle Beach by Uga, but much to our dismay the resort is closed until next year. *Sigh*. So we took to our friend Google to search for more boutique hotels on the East Coast and after browsing through places, I came across one place that a.) we hadn't heard of before and b.) looked absolutely gorgeous. Karpaha Sands on Kalkudah Beach, Passikuda ended up being the spot that we chose and we couldn't have been happier. 

With a number #1 ranking from Trip Advisor and named as one of the best Asian beach hotels by The Telegraph, it's easy to understand why when you get there. 

Situated on the East Coast, this hotel is a little dream on the edge of the ocean. It's beautifully secluded with villa rooms on a gorgeous stretch of beach; the ideal place to relax for a few days. Our trip here was wonderful and needed after being cooped up in the house for so long. Taking a breath of fresh air, listening to the waves and feeling the sand between your toes was just great. 

Here's my rundown of Karpaha Sands!

 

 Location:

It was a little hard to find the hotel at first, I mean we missed the turning because we didn't catch a board at the top of the road. But thank God for Google Maps. After you turn off the main road, you head through a long stretch of unpaved beach road and as you drive down, you may think you've missed it. But then you see the board that navigates you the right way and you know that when you reach the hotel, you will for sure be at the edge of the sea. The hotel is situated on a secluded beach that only hears the waves on the shore, the breeze running through the coconut trees and the occasional chants of fishermen tugging their nets to shore. At the time that we went, there wasn't as many people as there would be during a normal peak time season, which Summer usually is, but I quite enjoyed the tranquility and being able to take in the location privately. As you enter the hotel, you're greeted with a beautiful fisherman boat in the foyer that opens to a reception that looks out onto a pathway lined with araliya trees with the horizon line in the distance. If that doesn't completely sell you straight away, then I don't know what will. 

 

Sleep:

We stayed in one of the Palam Suites; "palam" in Tamil means "fruit" and these suites offer you the greatest fruit of all - a direct access and view of the ocean. Whenever we go on a trip, especially within Sri Lanka, we like to look for more villa style rooms for privacy and Karpaha Sands was perfect for that. The room has a cabin-tent vibe with an open plan space. You have an outdoor veranda which works as the "porch" into your room with double sliding glass doors. In the room, you have a small seating area and a super comfy bed sits in the middle of the room, giving you the perfect view of what seems like endless sand, rows of magnificent coconut trees and the beautiful blue of the ocean beyond. This space is then separated by a small wall and curtains that lead into a beautiful open bathroom space with his and hers sinks in the middle, a major bathtub, storage areas, a little tea & coffee nook with a mini fridge, and finally an outdoor shower. Basically, everything you need is in one room of course and it's so cosy that we pretty much spent most our time in the room (also, it was a bit rainy whilst we were there so...)

Eat: 

Ps: Basically got no other photos of food because we got too excited and ate, so my bad.

We went to the resort on a half board package, which allowed us breakfast included in the price. For breakfast, which we decided to have on the outdoor patio each morning, we had the option of either traditional Sri Lankan breakfast (which is a must anywhere you go) and Western options as well. We got a bit of everything and honestly, the breakfast spread is insane. Along with what you order, you receive a full bread tray, fruit, juices and more. And because you end up having so much, you probably won't eat lunch. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no buffet options available, however there are à la carte menus available for lunch and dinner, which range from a bit lower than Rs.1000/- and upwards. We had some wonderful meals of seafood, which is all fresh so if you are choosing from the à la carte menu, we definitely recommend any of the seafood. Room service were brilliant too, with the same à la carte menus available for your room and quick turnaround service when it came to restocking tea and coffee (which we tend to have a lot of). The service was brilliant when it came to food, so much so that they even made my Mum a little birthday cake last minute and it was so delicious! Only other thing I'll say is that they do not serve any alcohol at the moment, but you are allowed to bring you own, so pack yourself a bottle of wine or two. And if you don't, the staff will happily source for you. 

 

Relax:

Along with the beautiful beach front, the resort offers an infinity pool by the main building area that also looks out onto the ocean, where you can relax on a sun lounger or take a dip in the pool. Or you can head right down to the sea salt water and sand. The other thing that I loved was that there were bean bags dotted across the beach, which would be perfect for relaxing in with your favourite book as you soak up some sun. There's also offerings of a spa, a games room, a library, gardens across the property and the bar lounge for spaces outside of your room. 

COVID-19 Precautions:

As soon as you get to the hotel, you don't even need to worry. A member of staff will come and greet you, check your temperature and make sure you sanitise by washing your hands and placing your footwear in a disinfectant mat. They also continue to check your temperature twice a day just to make sure. There's also social distancing measures in place in the restaurant whereby they have limited capacity of seating so as to insure as much safety as possible. Anyway, since there was less people at the resort at the time, we didn't have to worry as much. But the staff did a fantastic job of making sure that not only we felt safe, but they themselves were too complying with the health and safety guides implemented by the Sri Lankan Tourism Board. 

 

Extras:

Something that I thought was completely unique to the experience was technology you get with your room. Of course you get your usual room key, but you also get your own mobile phone that works as the room phone and your free Wifi provider (through personal hotspot), so you can pretty much carry that around with you throughout the resort. You also get a little bluetooth speaker so you can play your music a little louder and a torch to get around the property. Honestly, I thought the mobile phone was a truly great little extra because it also was so easy to contact staff around the hotel and also, whatever bills you have from your meals or any other experiences get sent to you immediately through that! So it's much easier to keep track of things for yourself. 

Though it rained a little bit during our trip and we truly lazed about, it was probably one of the most relaxing trips we've ever had. I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed that mini getaway at Karpaha Sands. The service was great, the ambience was beautiful and just overall the hotel made such an impression on us that we know we'll one day definitely visit again. 

So if you live in Sri Lanka and are in need of a staycation, or if you're making Sri Lanka one of the first destinations you visit when the borders are fully open, then definitely add Karpaha Sands to your list. 

I hope you enjoyed this review and if you want to see more, let me know! If you want more destinations/recommendations within Sri Lanka (for now, since I'm not doing international travel just yet), then do let me know in the comments below. 

I hope you're staying safe and well. Sending you lots of love, 

Emily xx

Book Review: Rao's Guide To Lime Pickling

I didn't think I would write book reviews when I started out this blog. I thought it was strictly going to be fashion and beauty. But as I branch out more into lifestyle and write posts that have more depth to me than just what I'm wearing, I thought why not write reviews or use my lifestyle area to talk about whatever it is in my life right now that I want to recommend and share. 

So, here's my first book review. More of a recommendation that a review. 

And what makes it all the more special is that this book is written by a best friend - well more like a sister. 

"Rao's Guide To Lime Pickling" is the debut novella from Sandali, a young mathematician-economist-writer-wannabe filmmaker. (And yes I can vouch for the fact that all these statements are indeed true).  Originally written as a thesis for university, the story tells of the Sri Lankan Civil War through the eyes of a young boy named Siva, who must navigate growing up through a time of great turmoil between the Tamil and Sinhalese. 

This is a topic that I had never read about nor did I really know too much detail on. As a Sri Lankan, I kick myself for not knowing enough but this book intrigued me to dig deeper and dive into my culture more. 

Siva's story begins when he is just 5 years old in Jaffna, 1995, when his family must be uprooted from home to try and escape the war. He's taken to his uncle's house where he meets his cousin Kumar, whom then soon become brothers and live like children should playing pranks with their neighbour Sita. One day, one of their planned pranks on the ice cream man goes wrong and Siva, quite literally, falls into the arms of the green-eyed young man, Rao, who quickly becomes Siva's mentor. The civil war becomes a topic that pushes all the characters together, whilst also tearing them apart and making them realise what is important, as well as who is important. 

Though the piece is historical fiction, it's more than that. It opens a whole thought process in your mind as to how we think and perceive things. There's just this awakening of high high we think of others and how they guide us in our lives, and then how that in turn teachers us about ourselves. Rao's Guide taught be about the reality of hindsight- not seeing or understanding why something is happening in that moment, but as time passes realising the importance of that single event and how it shaped you.

I said the same thing in my GoodReads review and to Sandali herself because that's just what I took from the book. It's how I felt. And apparently I was on the right track. And I don't think that feeling is limited to just the Sri Lankans who read this. I think it's a feeling that anyone can take away from this book - that people can shape us more than we understand or realise. That events in our lives may not be significant in the moment, but will later be some of the most treasured. 

Now you might think I'm saying all these nice things because it's my friend who wrote. But I'm not. The fact of the matter is that this is a beautiful book about love, friendship and struggle. 

I highly recommend this to everyone. It's worth the read. It's perfect for travelling or if you're wanting to learn about Sri Lanka, or if you just need a little break from your hectic work life. The 182 page turner is recommended by the author in a one-sit reading and I agree that's the way it should be done. 

You can purchase the book in Sri Lanka at Barefoot on Galle Road, or even on Amazon (also available on Kindle).

(I'm such a proud mum no lie). 

Support your local girl gang always and girl gangs everywhere - so have a read, you won't regret it. 

P.s: I've started a GoodReads profile (Sandali made me do it) and I'm going to be documenting all the books I read, so if you're looking for recommendations or you want to recommend me any, please do! I'm planning to read a few blog-oriented works soon to inspire me and teach me more about the blogging world and the best ways to tackle it, so stay tuned!

Lots of Love, 

Emily xx

3 Face Savers That Will Help Give You That Natural Glow

Having amazing clear skin is what everyone wants and we continuously look to find the best ways. I've always had relatively good skin but like everyone, I have hormone imbalances or environmental changes and my face just says nope! But I have found some products that can help to restore your skin back to it's natural state and give you a glow, without the highlight.

Read below for my top 3 Face Savers and tips on using them!

Tea Tree Oil

I came across the wonder from Desi Perkins' "Get Unready With Me" video where she used the substance to fight blemishes and breakouts. She raved about it and I thought "couldn't help to try it out." My skin can get dark pigmentation after breakouts and it seriously irritates me because otherwise my skin is in great condition. It can also be very sensitive to certain products and I'm not really sure why that is. I can't even use the brand Simple, which is catered to sensitive skin, because my skin reacts badly to it and I start to get more breakouts than what I started with. So since tea tree oil is said to be effective for blemishes due to it's antiseptic component, I thought I'd give it a shot and I have to say that the results were brilliant. 

I had a dark pigmentation after a breakout on my chin and it was right before my graduation. It was fading naturally but taking so long to do so. I bought tea tree oil from The Body Shop roughly a week and a half before my graduation, and after using it day and night before the big day, the blemish was gone. It was amazing because my skin had no reaction to it, it just soaked up all the goodness tea tree oil had to give and restored my skin back to better health. Even now when I get a breakout, I immediately apply tea tree oil and it eases the mark.

Tip: Apply tea tree oil every morning and evening during your skincare routine as one of the first products you apply so that your skin absorbs it first and tackles the blemishes. Apply it to your whole face or just spot conceal, whatever your fancy!

Available at The Body Shop (they have a full range of tea tree oil products) or via Amazon.

Fade Out Even Tone Skin Moisturiser

I had never heard of Fade Out before my mum decided to show me this moisturiser. She bought in Sri Lanka and told me to use it because it will just help even my skin tone and leave it feeling fresh. After using it for a few days, I instantly noticed the difference. Dark spots on my face were evened out on my face and I just felt more of a natural glow. 

This moisturiser includes extracts of mulberry and liquorice which work to fight the production of melanin, the cause of darker, brown pigmentation. And it actually does what it says, that's the beauty of it. The type that I use also includes an SPF of 15, but there is one that is more advanced and has an SPF of 25.  I was genuinely considering bring back so many bottles of Fade Out back to London because I didn't think you could get it there but I'm stupid because it's actually retailed at Boots. I don't know how I never noticed or heard about it, but I'm so glad I did because it's honestly a life-saver. It leaves your skin in a better condition, both in look and feel. It helps banish the blemishes, darker spots and even your under eye dark circles, if that doesn't want to make you try it, I don't know what will. I highly recommend this is you want to even out your skin tone and keep your skin feeling good all the time. 

Combining it with the tea tree oil is like a double army to battle your skin so I highly recommend it. It'll make your feel fresh and confident to step out with no make up on. 

Tip: Apply Fade Out as your main moisturiser both day and night when you feel like your skin is suffering with dark patches, but when it does clear switch back to your normal moisturiser and use Fade Out as your night time moisturiser to maintain your even skin tone. 

Available at Boots or via Amazon

Bobbi Brown Skin Remedies - Skin Fortifier No.93 Strength & Recovery Tonic

I came across the product when I browsing around the Bobbi Brown counter and I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I stumbled across the then newly launched Remedies collection. I'm always up for trying new products and this seemed like a good one to try. There's are now 7 remedies that target various different skin conditions and I currently use No.93 which works to repair your skin and strengthen it against breakouts or blemishes. Because it's an oil product, I was worried that because I do have oily areas (my nose in particular), I thought that it wouldn't work well but I have found that it actually doesn't feel too oily. The product on the skin actually makes it feel more silky and moisturised. I've definitely seen the improvements in my skin since using this product and I'm excited to try the others to see what benefits I can get from them. 

Tip: Apply 2 drops to your whole face and massage it into the skin and also down to your neck. Apply onto clean skin with minimal product and if you're using it with tea tree oil, then apply after that for the best results.

Available direct from the Bobbi Brown website or counters.

These are just the three products that I am currently using on a daily basis that I'm loving and that are making my skin feel amazing. I'll probably end up finding more as I expand my skincare routine and get my skin to it's best form ever, but for now I highly recommend these. If you've tried these products and enjoyed them or not, let me know in the comments! Or if you have products that you think are amazing, let me know because I'd love to try them!

Lots of love, 

Emily xx