Posts in travel
Travel diary - take me back to Cascais, Portugal!

With weather getting colder and colder the closer we get to Christmas, I'm fondly reliving the week of gorgeous sunshine I experienced in Cascais!

My sister is a teacher in Portugal and has tried and tested many of the restaurants, cafes, bars and beaches, and so I was in expert hands!

This was my first trip to Portugal and I already can't wait to return. The buildings, the people, the food, the WEATHER - everything was amazing. I can't believe I haven't visited sooner. I'm a longtime vegetarian and Cascais was one of the most veggie friendly places I've visited outside of the UK. Yay!

See a selection of pix from my trip below - and if you have any questions write them in the comments and I'll try to help!

Sadie x

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travel, styleSadie HawkerComment
Four of the best tropical perfumes

I love holidays (who doesn't!). And I love perfumes that remind me of times spent lounging with a coconut cocktail while I'm sat working at my desk.

I'm always keen to sniff a new scent, but it is rare that I buy one. I love subtle scents - I have a strong sense of smell and so find heavy perfumes nauseating. Who else has had the annoyance of squirting perfume all over themselves after an initial quick sniff, only for it to quickly become overbearing, and you spend the rest of the day feeling sick from it?! Well I have done this MORE THAN once at duty free before a long-haul flight. Learn from my lesson, my friends! Spray cautiously! ;-)

So after several years of sniffing, resisting the temptation to spray, and then re-sniffing, here are my top recommendations for a coconut / vanilla / tropical scented perfume...

Enjoy!
Love, Sadie x

1. Lavanila Vanilla Coconut

lavanila coconut

Hands down THE best smelling perfume I've ever worn. I've worn it almost every day for three years and am still in love with it. I get so many remarks of "you smell nice", even when it's not been freshly sprayed! I first bought it in Sephora Times Square at 1am. A sales assistant asked if he could help, and to my delight he found me my perfect perfume. I also tried the Lavanila Vanilla Summer fragrance which did the whole-i-feel-sick thing to me, after I'd purchased it of course.

It's a subtle scent of vanilla and coconut. It smells great sprayed on your hair! The bonus is that it is also a 'healthy fragrance' which has no chemicals.

Shop Lavanila here.  

Lush Vanillary

2. Lush Vanillary

See the trend here? Vanilla smells? Well there'll be more coconut smells too, as these are my scent-vibes! ;-p

Lush Vanillary is a STRONG scent! If you have a sensitive nose, spray sparingly. One or two squirts is plenty! It's a perfume that lingers, too. Unlike Lavanila, it's quite easy to find Lush products in the UK, and so I recommend having a sniff next time you see a Lush store.

Shop Vanillary here.

3. The Body Shop Coconut Eau de Toilette

The Body Shop coconut perfume

Cheap and cheerful, a simple coconut perfume that's good for every day wear. It's a nice, summer scent, and a good back up tropical perfume. And it's even easier to sniff in store than Lush!

Shop Coconut Eau de Toilette here.

 

4. Pure Fiji Starfruit Coconut Oil Rollerball

Pure fiji

I was lucky enough to holiday in the South Pacific seven times while I lived in New Zealand. During our holidays at Musket Cove, Malolo Lailai, in Fiji, we were given Pure Fiji toiletries in our bathrooms. They. Smell. Divine. I've since bought several of their heavenly scented products and whenever I use them they take me back to my holidays in Fiji.

One of my favourites is the Starfruit Coconut Oil Rollerball - it's a handy size to keep in my handbag and it smells amazing. I do find that the scent needs to be reapplied regularly, though.

Shop Pure Fiji here.
See my Fiji travel diary here.

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beauty, travelSadie Hawker
Current faves - Bimba Y Lola

I discovered Bimba Y Lola on a recent holiday to the Canary Islands and immediately fell in love with their graphic prints and colourful illustrations!

I had to buy one of their bright colourful scarves - the Black Flower Scarf. It has so many cute animals tucked in amongst the flowers I can't stop looking at it! Its size means that it layers well over a simple t-shirt or can be worn over a blazer as more of a shawl.

Here are more of my current faves from their latest summer 17 #thisismaasai collection. What do you think?

Sadie x

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travel, styleSadie Hawker
Travel diary: take me back to Fiji! (Part two)

After a wonderful stint in at the Westin Denarau we took a boat out to Musket Cove Resort on Malolo lailai Island, Fiji. This was the third time I stayed at Musket and despite the weather being occasionally overcast, there was plenty of pool-time, snorkelling, delicious food and, most importantly, cocktails!

We were greeted on arrival with fresh coconuts, locally made clay bead leis and a chilled flannel, which was perfect for freshening up. The resort is beautiful and I'd highly recommend staying in the lagoon bures. It's fun watching the crabs and fish from your own balcony, and there was a stunning sunset every evening.

I took my giant pink flamingo with me (his name is Frank), and he saw plenty of action in the pool - kids young and old loved diving onto him and lazing in the water! Take me back!

Read part one here.

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style, travelSadie Hawker
Travel diary: take me back to Fiji! (Part one)

I'm a Welsh girl, and have lived in Wellington, New Zealand for the last seven years (time has flown!). One of the amazing perks of living so far away from home is the proximity to the tropical paradise that is the Pacific Islands!!

This Easter we returned to Fiji for our fourth time, and were as enamoured with the golden sands, blue seas, swaying palm trees and wonderful locals as ever.

For the first part of the trip we stayed at the Westin Denarau for four nights (we were meant to stay at Tokoriki Resort but it was unfortunately damaged due to a cyclone). The Westin was gorgeous and the rooms were fantastic - the pool, food, staff were all great. We didn't find it as relaxing as heading out onto the islands, but for a short mini-break when you didn't have time to travel to the islands, it would be perfect.

After our stint at the Westin we took a boat out to Musket Cove Resort - read part two here!

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style, travelSadie Hawker