Currently Coveting

August 11, 2014August 11, 20141 Comment

Materialism at it’s worst, guys. I KNOW. But just indulge me 🙂

The list below is compiled of things I have taken a hard liking to over the past couple of months. It’s a bit longer than normal because I haven’t bought anything lately due to lack of job, trips to Potbelly and a teensy dent I put in the Jeep. Oopsa’ daisies!

Mac Blushes!!

I went to the Mac on NW 23rd here in Portland and had a swatchfest. I had ’em all up and down my arm like a lunatic and determined these shades MUST be mine.

Petal Power Mineralized Blush $27

Check out the new Mac mineralized packaging! I saw Sam Schuerman talk about the beauty of this blush and HAD to see for myself. I am currently REALLY digging blushes that can basically double as highlights, much like my current favorite blush which is Luminoso by Milani. This shade is an absolutely gorgeous pink with goldy undertones. Mamma want.

Sunbasque Powder Blush $22

Photo Cred

Sunbasque is a color I have heard tons about and I finally experienced it’s radiant splendor. It is definitely more of a mauvy, bronzed color with that shimmer I have grown obsessed with.

Margin Powder Blush $22

Photo Cred

To me, margin might be the perfect summer blush of all time. It is rose gold (reminiscent of Benefit’s boxed blush in Rockateur) but MUCH more glowy. It has brownish peach undertones and would PERF with my skin tone right now or with a slammin self tan.

Springsheen Powder Blush $22

Photo Cred

Springsheen. Oh, springsheen. How lovely and coral and perfect and luminous you are. Do you guys see why I need all these blushes? They are all SO me and wonderfully life-changing.

Other Stuff

Benefit Push Up Liner $24

I have never been a fan of gel liners. Back in the good ol’ days, I had Mac’s blacktrack and it completely dried out on me after like 8 months and I was PISSED. I have tried other drugstore brands since then and they’re okay but I always find myself migrating back to my liquids or pencils because it’s just too much work to lug out the pot AND the brush (not lazy at all, here). But then Benefit released this and my distaste for gel liner has been thoughtfully redacted. No need for a brush! No dried-up product! I need this in my life.

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Body Butter $48

$48 body lotion necessitates a lengthy explanation, so allow me to deconstruct…

Alright gals. Body lotion 101 is in session. You all know I struggle with a couple of agonizing skin disorders. One being my keratosis pilaris otherwise known as chicken skin or those tiny bumps we sometimes get on the backs of our arms and legs. The other being my acute paleness. NOW. Ingredients such as glycerin and mineral oil upset the chicken skin, as the ingredients are not good for the root cause of these bumps – a hard build-up of keratin which plugs up the hair follicle.

Additionally, ingredients such as alcohol and mineral oil actually STRIP the color off of a self-tanned body. Which is NO BUENO.

So, in congruence with these obstacles – I have been on the hunt for skin lotions and butters devoid of these ingredients. And lemmetellya, there aren’t many. Organic or natural brands may not contain alcohol but then they mostly ALL have glycerin and mineral oil.

My discovery is this – Josie Maran body butter. It is free of alcohol, mineral oil and has only a small amount of “natural vegetable glycerin”.

PRAISE THE LORD allelujah! I will happily fork over this ungodly sum for a bit of skin relief – oh yes, I will.

Alex and Ani Bracelets $28 (approx.)

Let me explain. I have always wanted a charm bracelet. However, I am just not a fan of the Pandora line or the tradition charm bracelets that get all bulky. These bangles from Alex and Ani I find to be quite cute as you can stack them up and wear a bunch at a time. They come in all different styles and metals and I want a million of them.

Maybelline Hip Eyeshadow Duo in Electrified $5

Photo Cred

Kristin Gehm mentioned this duo on one of her recent videos and I need it. Unfortunately it is not available anywhere! If anyone finds this line of eyeshadows anywhere please let me know!

TIGI Bedhead Oh Bee Hive! Dry Shampoo $20

My sister’s GF Shannon used this on me when she did my hair for our wedding and I am IN LOVE. It smells amazing and I found the result to be smooth and natural. I usually opt for drugstore dry shampoos but this might just make me a convert.

Benefit Maybe Baby Perfume $32

This perfume is everything to me. It has the same scent as my beloved Bathina Oil Mist from Benefit. An ultra-feminine, sweet, floral scent that makes feel like the ballerina I wish I were.

And that’s it! What have YOU been coveting??

Summer Glamping

August 7, 20144 Comments

Hey pudding pops!

All I can say is thank God Bryan and I purchased THIS last summer:

Since it’s first appearance last 4th of July, our two-man island of fun has srsly been our BFF. The three musketeers, we are. And when the hot Portland sun is pouring through the windows in our AC-less apartment all I wanna do is cannonballs all. day. long.

A few weekends ago, Bryan and I packed up the Jeep and headed east for a little overnighter in the desert. After striking out at THREE different campsites, we finally nabbed one on the river at Peach Beach, which sounds like a cocktail.

We sprang out of the car, inflated the RR (River Run), dumped a six-bomb of BLLs and a river drink for moi in the COOLER and set sail. I also applied m’trusty 70 SPF because my mamma didn’t raise no fool. We floated until lunch time and then I had the PB&J Bry so lovingly made for me with potato chips. We went through almost an entire gallon of water too. I always talk about our dranks, but we DO drink tons of H20 as well.

After the afternoon session we had covered all relevant topics; how we want to parent our offspring someday, which is truly the best of the 3 Ninjas series and obviously we played last meal.

At Peach Beach no campfires were allowed (SONOFA) so our dinner was puuurty sad. We boiled water for hot dogs and then roasted mallows for s’mores over the tiny flame of the Jet Boil. It was a little pathetic but it worked.

Then we watched about an hour of Wolf of Wall Street (told you it was glamping) in the tent and fell asleep. The next day we headed home to get some errands done but decided to head back the very next weekend. Can you tell we had fun?

The next weekend, we headed the same direction but decided to make it a day trip. And this time, we weren’t lazy bums. We ended up doing a 6 mile hike along the Deschutes River and I LOVVVVED it (yes it was totally flat). We hiked up a bit and then back to our car along the old railroad trail which was beautiful but long.

We got back and immediately got RR in the water. A ranger explained to us that we were free to float along a stretch of the river all the way to the Columbia if we wanted. Things started out innocently enough until I suggested we paddle over and take a little tributary (that’s what I was calling it, but, LIKE I KNOW what a tributary is). As soon as we paddled over, poor RR was going through rapids, skidding over huge river rocks and Bryan and I were swirling around out of control. Things only got worse as we made our way down – it was so narrow, rocky and full of rapids that we were totally freaked. I was getting shoved into trees and foliage full of gross spider webs. I was screaming and being dramatic per usual.

Then Bryan was a prince. He got OUT of RR and pulled us back against the rapids. He was literally IN the water, pulling hard against the rocks and he basically ruined his swim trunks in the process. When we finally got back to the calm water, I made us do 25 tick checks and cleaned all the debris off RR. I had a few sips of wine from my wine cube and everything was all better. We ended up tying ourselves to a rock and spending the day lounging in the waist-deep water and catching some rays. Another eventful day out on the riv!

Wrong way, genius

Also, what is more surprising: That football season starts in just WEEKS or that I actually care?

July Favorites

August 4, 20141 Comment

Oh hiya!!

Another month of summer down and one more to go. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I don’t want it to get cold outside! I’m not ready! I have so much more to do, so many creeks to float and sea-salt hair sprays to try! Where HAS the time gone?

After a certain point – one would think I’d run out of monthly faves BUT I HAVEN’T so yeeeeehaw!

Hair

1. Shimmer Lights Shampoo

This one’s a doozy. And quite the throwback, I might add. The smell alone will indicate it’s origins from probably the 1950’s. It smells straight-up OLD LADY but it performs like a champ. It is crazy purple and is a God’s send for bright blondes. The purple cancels out and tones any brassiness and brightens my blonde hues. It is however, very drying, so you gotta be careful with how long it stays on.

2. Big Sexy Get Layered Hairspray

I got this stuff in my 2014 Allure Summer Beauty Box (which I MUST do a post on, btw) and I am in love. It is BY FAR the best hairspray I have tried for teasing, building volume and holding curl. The product comes out in a SUPER FINE mist and the formula is incredibly quick-drying. I may be a convert to this stuff from my long-time fave Tressemme Tres 2.

Makeup

1. It Cosmetics Celebration Illumination Foundation

This powder just miiiiight have changed my life. Bold, I know. When I combine this with my Napoleon Perdis Boudior Mist Foundation it’s like PERFECTION. Doll skin, I tell you! For everyday, I buff this over my t-zone after applying foundation. I also take the ELF small concealer brush and dust a good amount under my eyes, over the top of my holy grail under eye concealer Bye Bye Undereye by It Cosmetics. So far this line has really impressed me, the CC cream is great, and these two products are amazing as well. Go get you some!

2. Bare Minerals Lasting Line Eyeliner

This pencil eyeliner was the only one I brought to Bali with me and it performed wonderfully. The color is decently pigmented and it glides on like a dream. I found the staying power to be pretty good even in the humid Bali heat!

Misc

1. Dawn Hand Renewal + Olay Peaches and Almond Dish Soap

I know. I’m writing about gd DISH SOAP. But this stuff is different. Because it has the Oil of Olay ingredient, it truly makes my hands feel so much more moisturized than just regular dish soap. And the smell? OMGeeee it actually makes me WANT to do dishes. Well, not really but kindof.

2. Outshine Popsicles

Popsicle consumption has been relentless in this house. I’m averaging just under a box every three days and lemmetellya – I can’t stop. These ones by Dreyers have been my absolute favorite. Esp the texture, I’m a texture girl.

3. Chasing Life on ABC Family

NOBODY LAUGH. I love this show and it’s exactly what you’d expect. Girl has cancer. Keeps it a secret from her family. Sexual tension. Overbearing mother. Bisexual sister. You get it. One of the characters is Cappie from another former favorite ABC Family show, Greek! Ah, love him.

K that’s all folks. Off to watch Dance Moms.

Bare Minerals “I Do” Set Review

August 1, 20142 Comments

Backatcha today with another makeup review!

Man, I have missed makeup. I’ve missed talking about it, putting it on, buying it and everything in between. This summer + not working + going to Bali = ALOT of no-makeup days for this girl.

I am ready for m’war paint. SO ready.

This set was graciously given to me by my sis Rachel J right before our wedding ceremony. She certainly knows the way to my heart!

This is the case and it is SO adorbs – feast your eyes on the tiffany-blue lining!

I have to admit I have already used two of the products inside, which is why the one on the left looks dirty…sorry! Here we have:

Flawless Definition Waterproof Mascara (Full sized)
Ready Eyeshadow 2.0 in the Inspiration (Full sized)
Ready Touch-Up Veil
Ready Blush in The One
Mini Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready
Lasting Line Long-Wearing Eye Liner (Full sized)

I haven’t tried this puppy yet, but I am really excited to! I have been wanting to try a waterproof prestige one and this will fit the bill perfectly.

This duo in The Inspiration has two beautiful colors, which are beautiful on their own or worn together. Muse is a very light frosted pink, which is a bit chalky but works fine over a primer. Passion is a gorgeous deep plum with a hint of gold micro-glitter. This color packs a bit more of a punch and is beautiful in the outer corners and smoked out a little.

I am SO excited to have the touch-up veil in my purse. I already know I love the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil so I am sure this pressed version will work like a charm!

Oh lawd, I LOVE me some Bare Minerals blush! I am already a fan of the mineralized ones, but this color in The One looks very lovely. I would say this color is a rose pink with a luminous finish.

The color of the mini lipstick in Get Ready is like a “your lips but better” shade for me. I think it will look lovely as an easy, everyday shade.

The Lasting Liner in Blackest Black is awesome! It was the only liner I brought with me to Bali and it stays put (even in the heat!), really pigmented and most importantly, doesn’t irritate my eyes!

And that concludes the kit! Let me know if anyone wants to see a look using all of these products, I would be happy to do so 🙂

Inspirational Blogger Award!

July 30, 2014August 1, 20141 Comment

I wouldn’t go so far as to say I am inspirational…

Unless you find it inspiring how much I love cotton candy and blush.

A big, giant, scary-sized hug to Sarah of Our Detroit Wedding for the nom, I truly appreciate it. Sarah is planning a wedding of her own and girlfriend is PREPARED. I wish I were half as creative or driven as she is, when it came to my own nuptials. Go girl.

In terms of rules, I must acknowledge the person who nominated me (check!), list 7 facts about myself and nominate 10 peeps. Honestly though, every time I follow directions and actually nominate 10 others, I never hear back. So I will just be keeping this award all about me!

7 Random Facts About Me

1. I am obsessed with period films (NO. Not movies about surfin’ the crimson wave). You know, the ones set in Britain, usually starring Colin Firth or Hugh Grant or BOTH. Where there’s family turmoil, affairs of the heart and most importantly, good ol’ fashioned romance. A time when holding hands and going for a stroll through the gah-dens was favorable. A world devoid of twerking, sexting and half-inch inseam, high-waisted acid washed shorts.

Favorites Include:

Marie Antionette (obvi)

Sense & Sensibility

Pride & Prejudice

2. I have recurring anxiety dreams (you know the ones) where I am late to my volleyball game and I don’t have my uniform or ankle braces or shoes or spandex and have to borrow everything. If you have ever played a team sport, you know how much it sucked when you forgot something and had to borrow. You were “that” girl.

3. I hate Canadian Geese. They are right above reptiles in my book.

4. I have always wanted to be able to “shoot the duck”. You know this move if you ever attended a Skate Night during elementary school. All the cool kids could shoot that mothereffin duck.

5. I recently purchased a Kitchen Aid in the color Ice and it is the crown jewel in our home.

6. The bottoms of my feet are perpetually dirty. Maybe it’s an Eastern Washington thing, or maybe because it’s the fact that I don’t like to wear shoes when I go outside to get the mail…

7. I just finished the book,”The Paris Wife” and I am now completely obsessed with Ernest Hemingway (or Hem, as I know refer to him). He had four wives, was a raging alcoholic and liked to fight people but for whatever reason I find the man to be intoxicating. Go figure.

All for now! Have a great hump day little fishies!

H-Moon Part 2: Lovina

July 28, 2014Leave a comment

G’day gents!

Let’s get right to it, shall we?

So. The last day in Seminyak I began to get a bit of a sore throat, but only mildly and in the AM. I thought nothing of it and just hoped it would go away. Well, it did not and cold symptoms began to progress.

The day we drove to Lovina was an uneventful one. I had gone through about 9829q8 Kleenex and now had to endure a 4-hour car ride through the INSANELY windy roads of Bali. We managed a quick stop off at another famous Balinese temple, called Ulun Danu which is situated on a lake. It’s breathtaking.

The gal on the left is FIERCE

Little Indonesian deer friend

Once we were up and over the mountain, we finally arrived at our destination, The Damai. To us, this felt like the real “Bali” experience. Unlike being in Seminyak (a city), The Damai offered a tranquil, lush, zen-like setting for the remaining 6 days of our honeymoon.

Entrance to our villa

Ocean views in the distance!

I was exhausted from the car ride and we were both famished so we immediately had his and hers lunches of club sandwiches and I hit the hay HARD until dinner time. I could have smacked myself for not bringing any cold medicenes. Y’all know I’m a self-confessed pill popper, so it would have been nice to have a little Sudafed, or at the very least some Nyquil. Luckily, I had some de-contestants which helped a little.

The next morning we made our way to breakie.

They grow their own herbs, a lot of produce and all the grass is hand cut

Breakfast was also included in the price we paid for the room and the spread was utterly fantastic.

To start, they brought coffee, juice and an array of local fruits. I was instantly repulsed at the banana (obvs) and that sliced open thing with gooey seeds in the middle? I couldn’t do it. Any of it.

But then. All of THIS came:

In addition to this smorgasbord was ALSO our full-sized entrees of food, my favorite being their pancakes…

Words cannot describe how much I loved these crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside discs of unadulterated buttery bliss. Our ~~glutton-fests~~ breakfasts each day EASILY tided us over through lunch and allowed me to look four months pregnant during our late-morning dips in the pool.

::cues Enya::

Before dinner that night, I drank an Asian Red Bull.

My face tho

At dinner, we ordered a bunch of seafood and my prawns still had their little exoskeletons and those gross little legs and also, they were spicy. It just wasn’t my night.

The next day, we decided to venture up to the “community” pool with the peasants. Hahaaaahhaaaaaaa. I put “community” in quotes because there are only like 15 villas in the whole place, so it’s not like it was a gross urine-infested cesspool like at Silverwood.

The next day we ventured into the little town of Lovina to watch the sunset.

Still not feeling 100%

Then we headed out for dinner.

Bry bein’ scurry

tee hee

i feel like I’m bushbaby in this pic

Bryan ordered some kind of curry and I decided on pizza after debating what would make me the least sick.

Tasted like a Totino’s party pizza with extra mozz on top

The next morning we woke up bright and early to go dolphin watching!

so pitty

We ended up seeing a ton of dolphins but they are hard to photograph! Quick little buggers…

The only semi-useable dolphin shot

Then I tried to commandeer the boat and it didn’t work…

darn ‘ttractive

Later on, we changed and shopped around before we headed back to our room for a two-man pool party.

Tropical drinks!

Whilst pool-partying, I asked Bryan if he enjoyed the Kelly Kapowski swimsuit butt and he did not know what that was. The horror!! So. I had to demo.

Bryan had fully caught my cold at this point and the next day it rained 😦 so obvs we laid on the couch all day and watched movies. Btw, The Count of Monte Cristo is SUCH a good revenge flick. So satisfying to watch.

Our last days were spent laying low because of Bryan’s worsening cold.

Our very last full day, we decided to go to Spice Beach Club and spend the day lounging under the umbrella.

And since we had sooo much fun during the day, we came back at night to watch the sunset and have dinner.

When we got back to our room that night, we had a special gift from The Damai for our honeymoon!

The next day, Bryan was still really sick with a horrible cough and we had the following ahead of us:

4 hour drive from Lovina to the airport
5 hour flight to Taipei
2 hour layover
12 hour flight to Seattle
2.5 hour drive to Portland

It was really joyous. The best part I’d say was the 12 hour flight for sure. Bryan woke himself up coughing every 20 minutes. We were directly across from the flight attendants little HQ and every meal was chicken + rice in a thick sauce By the time we got to Seattle, I was thoroughly thrown-off, hungry, and just haggard. We took turns driving and arrived around 10:30 PM.

I took a loooong, hot shower, used a ton of Lush, brushed my teeth with water FROM THE SINK and just soaked in all those comforts of home I had missed. By the time we fell into bed, it was near midnight and I gotta tell ya – climbing into bed that night had to be the most satisfying feeling EVER. You know the one. YOUR sheets, YOUR pillow. Before long, I drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Traveling to foreign lands is tiresome. It’s expensive, uncomfortable at times and it is never “easy”. People keep asking us if it’s what we expected or if we wished we’d just gone to Hawaii. And while I LOVE me some Maui, I also think it is important (for me, at least) to push myself and experience these amazing cultures. All the head-colds, lizards and typhoid-infested drinking water couldn’t stop me from seeing everything there is to see and having a partner who feels the same way is the icing on the cake.

Until next time Bali. Until next time.

H-Moon Part 1: Seminyak

July 25, 2014July 25, 2014Leave a comment

Hallo!

You would think that after a two-week stint in Indonesia I could greet y’all in the native language. But, no. I got nadda. In fact, on our layover in Taipei we both realized how little we knew about this big island we were about to inhabit. Ah. Well.

Thankfully in Taipei, we stumbled upon one of my favorite kitty-cats EVER on EARTH.

YOU KNOW I died.

And so. Armed with little knowledge of Bali, our plane touched down after a grueling 23 hours of solid travel to sticky-hot temps and absolutely bat-sh*t CRAY traffic. You see, in Bali there are no traffic regulations. Sure, there’s the odd stoplight. One would think the yellow and white lines on the asphalt should at the very least HINT to the illusion there is any kind of order – BUT NO. If driving on the left side wasn’t enough to kinda freak me out, surely the use of the horn was. Scooters whizzed by as bits of jungle and tiny shacks selling peanuts and Bintang quickly faded into a blur of people, buildings and noise.

Overwhelmed but excited, we checked in at our hotel in Seminyak, Le Jardin Villas. Upon arrival, we were given wonderfully fragrant leis and welcome drinks. Our breakfast came as part of our package so we made our selections for the following day and were escorted to our villa.

As per tradish, they washed our feet before entering… in a bowl with tons of flower petals. SO COOL. But also, I felt bad for the girl who had to touch my feet…

As soon as the tour of our villa was over and the door was shut – we both squealed with delight. Srsly, like little piggies. I mean, we were really THERE. In BALI. ‘Moonin it UP.

The first day or two were spent aboard the relaxi-taxi (name that show!) and I had my first run-in with a true Bali native:

Yes. I freaked out and started crying. Thank the baby Jesus I wasn’t ANYWHERE near this guy when I first spotted him in the bushes. After a few minutes, he decided to grace us with his presence atop our sundeck. Bryan was psyched and I was like “KILL IT, KILL IT!!!!” I was kidding though, I mean, he was just trying to catch a few rays I guess??

I named him Professor McGonickle

The third day we decided to head to our very first official temple for sunset. This particular one has been in the background of various movies and has probably graced the background of many screensavers as well.

I give you, Tanah Lot! The temple was originally built to worship Balinese sea gods and of course has heavy Hindu influence. It is literally IN the ocean during high-tide and provides one AMAZING backdrop for a killa sunset.

After our cultural experience for the day, ’twas time for dinner. And since we had heard rave reviews for Sarong, back in Seminyak, we decided to go there. The restaurant was beautiful, the ice consumable and all the people were white. Haha. Dinner was fantastic, too.

The next day we knew we wanted a little beach time, so we selected to visit one of Bali’s many beaches, Padang Padang. The entrance to the beach itself was CRAY. For a couple’a trees like Bryan and I, wriggling down the set of stairs which lay right up against a giant STONE WALL was intimidating, to say the least.

The beach was SWELTERING and it finally dawned on me that we were basically sitting on top of the mothereffing equator. Bryan took shelter under an umbrella and drank from coconuts (I think they taste like armpit sweat) while I slathered on the 70. Yes, apparently such staggering levels of SPF can be attained.

After a few hours of sun, we headed back to the hotel and quickly changed so we could do sunset drinks at another white-man’s haven Khu De Ta. Cocktails were ‘murican prices but oh well, it was swankers and the real estate was PERFECT to watch the sun sink into the horizon.

The following day Bry and I hired a driver/tour-guide for 10 hours, which cost all of about $55, so that we could check off a bunch of the “to-dos” we had left on our list. Our first stop was to watch the Barong & Rangda, a Balinese Hindu dance. I confess I know little about the Hindu religion, our driver, Iwan, tried explaining some of the ideologies to us, but mostly I was flummoxed. From what I gathered, Hinduism focuses on balance. In this particular dance, the Barong and Rangda symbolize good and evil. The costumes are considered very sacred as well as the dance itself.

Here we are all-American and sh*t.

Had to

Making the offerings

The dance was beautiful and even though the dialogues were in Balinese, it didn’t matter because the message was clear: There will always be an ongoing struggle inside each of us with good and evil…or at least I hope that’s what the point was. If not, I WANT MY MONEY BACK. hee hee jk.

One other cultural display I found interesting and a bit repulsive was a group of tourists who continued to walk around the arena and noisily snap pictures, during the show. At one point nearing the end, a woman rose from her seat to stand right IN FRONT of the stage and had her ENTIRE family take her pic as the actors were just feet away. The fervency in which this woman insisted on hundred of pictures OF HERSELF no less, truly baffled me. Have you no respect, woman!? GEEEEEZ.

After that, we stopped off at another Balinese temple and we had to wear SARONGS. Tres cool.

After that, we decided to head further into Ubud to try a Balinese delicacy: Luwak Coffee, or as I like to call it – “poop coffee”.

I had heard of “the most expensive coffee in the world” when I worked at Elevated Grounds and turns out, it comes from Bali. Essentially a little animal called a civet eats the coffee berry and then after it passes the fruit (I am being SO P.C right now) the coffee-makers collect it, clean it, roast it and serve it up to caffeine-crazed folks all over the world.

the civet

the poops

processed

roasted

ground

We tried an array of their other coffees and teas (not made with poop) and then of course ordered a $5 cup of the LEGIT stuff before leaving. End result: DELICIOUS! Smooth and perfectly balanced, the Luwak coffee captured both of our hearts…and taste-buds.

the good stuff

Once we arrived in Ubud I was positively TICKLED at the prospect of visiting Monkey Forest, a small bit of forest (jungle, really) inhabited by TINY BABY MONKEYS. Oh yes. Being a lover of any small mammal, I was simply in awe. Little monkeys, old and young, just roaming freely around a few acres of land, bein’ cute. You could buy mini bananas (MINI) and feed them but I sustained, as I didn’t want a baby monkey bite.

I didn’t want to leave Monkey Forest. At all. I wanted one. I wanted one SO BAD. I mean ROSS had one!?

Then we headed into Ubud to go to the market. Our driver warned us that we MUST negotiate prices if we bought anything at the market…. so basically yer telling me it’s TIME TO HAGGLE B*ITCHES.

And haggle I did. I procured five or six random chochkies and spent the equivalent of about $17, so job well done by me!!

The next day we left for the second half of our honey-mizzle – to Lovina in north Bali!

Stay tuned my precious gems!