Monday 26 September 2011

Saying Goodbye to Sicily















Back from Sicily and had an amazing time. We traveled from Marsala in the west to Siracusa and Ortigia in the east, staying in rustic houses, aristocratic family homes and waterfront apartments along the way. It was wonderful if you turn a blind eye to the (suspected) kidney infection that attempted to ruin me. Having a doctor boyfriend has its benefits and he patched me up with antibiotics and painkillers. It wasn't pleasant but no way was I coming home early! Thank you to J for being kind and running off to buy me a Sprite when I nearly got my faint on during the million step climb to the top of Modica. A* travel buddy.

If you're thinking of traveling to Sicily I highly recommend all of the places we stayed. Here's a list of our accommodation.

Villa Salinara - Poet House  romantic little house on the grounds of a larger house with the most friendly and amazing hosts: Adriano, Yumi and their wonderful housekeeper Manju. Adriano helped us to plan our entire second week's travel and knows everything about Sicily.

Palazzo Il Cavaliere, Modica  beautiful aristocratic family 'palazzo' owned and run as a hotel by the original family who built it. Set on Corso Umberto in the heart of the baroque city of Modica, you breakfast in a huge living room with frescoed ceilings and unbeatable views across town. The family are super warm and friendly.

'Casa Giusi', Ortigia  sleek, modern apartment in a picturesque old building overlooking the marina. We had mega-yaghts parked outside and could sunbathe on the living room floor thanks to the beautiful shutters. Fantastic base to explore Ortigia with the famed Piazza Duomo right outside our door. Looked after by a kind Parisian lady called Stephanie who met her Sicilian husband while visiting Ortigia!

Monday 19 September 2011

Word Gets Around



I've just started writing for a new website called MissCittyKitty. My first post was published the day before I left for Sicily. Please have a read and let me know what you think! I'm excited to be contributing to a website I really like! Read my review of Amouage's new perfume 'Honour' here.

Friday 16 September 2011

Holiday Prep: Packing to a Theme



As my packing came together (read, 'everything thrown on bed') I noticed I was indeliberately sticking to a colour 'theme', namely blues and neutrals. This is the point at which a joke to my friend about 'needing a tonal theme' (because I wanted to be like Laura Fantacci of Wearing It Today) became a packing reality. I had a few red pieces that I wanted to take so these became my 'pop of colour'. There were some things I had to exclude in order to stick to a colour theme but I found this helped me remain within RyanAir's stingy 15kg weight limit.

If you're a dork like me who finds this sort of thing satisfying you must check out Laura's posts on her blog Wearing It Today. She's done a few on how to pack. This one and this one appealed to me hugely. And she also just came back from Sicily and posted about it here! Love her style!

Monday 12 September 2011

Holiday Prep: Colour Clash Mani-Pedi


Matchy-matchy or clashy-clashy? I had a tough time deciding, especially when some awesome China Glaze colours were thrown into the mix. Being a greedy sort I wanted red and pink and my lovely beauty therapist Sadie was kind enough to agree that this crazy combo was 'cool'. Essie Lolipop is a candy apple red, more cherry than pillar box. Illamasqua Collide is neon pink and refuses to photograph accurately. Sadie gave me a brilliantly thorough treatment and I'd recommend her to anyone in Gloucestershire in need of a beauty fix. She also tinted my eyelashes; managing to grab every transparent one of them.

Ciao from Sicily! 





I had my manicure-pedicure at Impression Hair Design in Stroud. Sadie is in on Tuesdays and Thursdays and every third Saturday. I also get my hair cut at the salon. Call 01453 750051 for appointments Stroudies!

Saturday 10 September 2011

This Way to the Beach


It's finally time! I'm off to Sicily for two wonderful weeks. We fly this afternoon and should arrive in time for a late dinner. I've scheduled some posts in my absence and hope you'll enjoy them. Ciao a tutte!


Thursday 8 September 2011

Review: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler



I've never been a slave to eyelash curlers, mainly because I've never thought they were particularly good. However, that was before Shu Uemura's famed pair graced my makeup bag. I picked these up in Liberty. The sales assistant let me have a go with a pair to see if they suited me and their effect was immediately apparent. Lashes like you wouldn't believe! Far superior to all the cheap pairs I've gone through over the years. They cost £20 but I hope to have them a long time.

However, I waited until I'd had my eyelashes tinted to take these pictures as I found that mascara seems to 'drag out' the curl somewhat. Does this render eyelash curlers entirely pointless? I'll leave you to ponder that. Here are some before and after photos and a small lesson in the benefits of eyelash tinting for the pale-eyed among us...

Update: It's now the day after I took these photos. I wore no eye makeup yesterday; my right eye's lashes are still perfectly curled. Acers!

Before and after Shu Uemura eyelash curlers
Before and after eyelash tinting and curling