Gradient Nail Art Tutorial

My Korean friend Heejoung (who was my model for the spring flower crown photoshoot Storm and I did a few months ago, click here to see the beautiful photographs) came over for tea yesterday and ended up helping me with my first ever gradient manicure. 

This is a super easy to do manicure. It can be adapted in so many ways but works best with 3 colours in varying shades. You need a dark colour, a medium shade and a light shade (but these are not rules set in stone, try mixing it up with any colour combination for a fun alternative to the original gradient nail).

You need 

3 nail polish colours

base coat

top coat

sponge (I first tried with a regular makeup sponge, wich failed miserably. So make sure to use the 'spongey spongey' kind of sponge, if that makes sense. I ended up having to cut my kitchen scourer sponge up to use the end with more 'holes').

Directions

Start with a coat or two of your favourite base coat. This protects your nails from the chemicals inside all nail polish, and prevents your nails from discolouration.  I would suggest painting one coat of a white polish after your base coat as it would make a better 'base' for this kind of manicure.  But it's up to you, I didn't and wish that I had done so as it would have made my colours pop a bit more, especially my lightest shade which ended up looking a little bland.

Then paint your nail polish onto the tip of your sponge. Work quickly so as not to let the polish dry too quickly on the sponge itself. 

Place the sponge on your nail, first applying pressure to the top of your nail closest to your cuticle and then move the pressure to the middle and finally to the end of your nail keeping the sponge in contact with your nail the entire time. You are making a kind of backwards 'C' motion with the sponge. You can also use a side to side motion for the first coat (as pictured above). Once you have you first coat, dab the nail with the sponge to apply more colour. The more you dab, the more natural the gradient look will be. Repeat on all your nails, finishing off with a couple of coats of your top coat to seal in the polish and protect your nails from chipping

Your sponge will make the manicure look textured and not as smooth as a regular manicure. But this can be changed by using a smoother sponge. 

Next you've got a bit of cleaning up to do:

Use an earbud dipped in nail polish remover to clean up your cuticles. You can also apply a lotion or vaseline to your cuticles before painting as this makes the clean up process very easy. I forgot to do this and had quite a job removing all the edges. This is a very messy manicure and does require quite a bit of work to make it look perfect. But the hard work is definitely worth it, don't you think?

Next I'm going to try a pastel combination, what colours do you think would work best?

If you try this yourself, share your work on my Facebook page (@citygirlsearching) or on Instagram (@roxyhutton) I'd love to see what combination you choose.

Backpacking in Bali & What to Pack

On Monday, Farmboy and I are off on our summer holiday to Bali. It's been a long semester of teaching and boy oh boy do we need this holiday. As I've been packing, I thought it would be fun to show you what I pack in terms of toiletries for a backpacking trip. I say backpack, because that is what we travel with, and even though we do treat ourselves along the way with nice hotels, we spend a lot of our time in backpacker type accommodation.

Here is what I pack for each of the trips we've done (you can see more about our last trip to Malaysia by clicking here and Vietnam by clicking here). 

There are one or two items that I haven't packed yet (toothbrush, deodorant and mosquito spray) but this is what I will be taking for our trip to Bali:

Toiletries:

I found the handy travel sized bottles at Dischem back in South Africa and top them up with whatever products I am using to the time.

-My shampoo and conditioner were half full with Loreal Elvive from back home in South Africa and I just topped them up with the little I had left of their full sizes.

-A spray bottle with IQ DermaQuench Rose Blossom Toner (also from back home).

-Body wash bottle filled with whatever wash we have in the bathroom here (a fresh citrus smelling wash from Happy Bath here in Korea)

-Face Wash from the youth range of skincare from Dermalogica (also bought back home).

-Hera 50+ Sun Mate Leports waterproof sunscreen

-My favourite sunscreen for face, Oil Cut SPF 40 from The Face Shop Korea.

-Olay Total Effects Eye Transforming Cream

-Travel sized Black Sugar Perfect First Serum Gold from SkinFood

-A sample sized Argan hair treatment oil from Confume (review to come soon, this stuff is amazing!!)

-My favourite Chia Seed Water toner and lotion from The Face Shop in  their cute travel sized containers. And lastly, the most useful skincare product, Green Tea facewipes from Étude House

Makeup:

-Mac StudioFit pressed powder

-Innisfree Pink Beam Mineral Pact highlighter which I use for a blush, highlighter and eye shadow

-Essence Stay All Day Concealer as you always end up getting at least one pimple while being away on holiday. This concealer is light and stays put all day.

-Lipgloss from TheFaceShop

-Tweezers

-Eyebrow comb and pencil from The Face Shop. I have only recently delved into eyebrow care and I can't believe just how much of a difference it makes to your face. The pencil can also be used as an eye liner.

-DCT lip balm (the ultimate lip care product!). it is so expensive back home in South Africa, but I have found it on Iherb for just over $2...it's nearly $9 back home!

-Oh! M' Eye Lash Curling  mascara I just picked up from Etude House. It's not waterproof as I just don't want to deal withe hassle of taking off waterproof mascara on holiday. Most people would advise you packing waterproof mascara especially when going on holiday to a topical island, but the mascara I have that is waterproof takes nearly 4 products to remove, and although my lashes look amazing all day, while taking it off I nearly always loose a few lashes. So I'm trying this one out, and just hoping for the best!

-a selection of hair accessories (hair ties, clips and most importantly, bobby pins)

First Aid Kit

Without fail, one of us ends up getting sick in same way while on holiday. We always pack a little bag  of medicine just in case. We usually use a clear zip lock bag which helps when trying to find it in your backpack, as well as making things easier for yourself when going through check in at the airport:

-Medlemon sachets for colds and flu

-Nurofen for pain and fever

-Disprin for headaches and fever

-Genpain, a generic form of myprodol for really bad headaches or body pain

-Strepsils for sore throats

-Buscopan for stomach cramps

-Valoid for neasuea

-a local pill for diarrhoea (I have been warned about Bali Belly, so best be prepared I think!)

-plasters, mosquito bite cream, mosquito repellant and ear buds

Is there anything else you would suggest travelers pack for their backpacking trip? Or anything you can see I have forgotten, please drop me a comment below! I have today to still rush out and make sure I'm all ready...

Hiking the Jagged Peaks Trail & Camping on Saryang Island

At the change of the season, Farmboy and I, along with a bunch of friends decided to head to Saryang Island to hike the Jagged Peaks trail. We didn't know much about the hike, but we did know that summer was approaching and soon we would be unable to walk a few metres without being out of breath from the humidity. So we decided to make hay while the sun was shining and packed our camping gear for the long weekend in April. 

Saryang-do ("do" means Island in Korean) is a small island just off the coast from Tongyeong. Farmboy and I were testing out Cherry (our beat up but-still-going-strong red car that we had recently bought) and drove from Buan to Tongyeong in about 4 hours. Saryang-do is the red dot on the map below:

From Tongyeong, you have to catch a small ferry to Saryang-do (be warned, there are 3 ferry terminals in Tongyeong) and the first ferry for the island was at 7am. We stayed at a jimjilbang (possibly the worst idea we could have had) but it was cheap and did mean we were relatively close to the ferry terminal. The quickest ferry leaves from Saryangdo Passenger Boat Terminal (사량도여객선터미널)  at Gauchi Harbour 가우치항, 15km north west of Tongyeong city centre so budget your time accordingly! We missed the first ferry but were able to make second one.

The ferry from Gauchi Harbour leaves at 7am, 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm and takes 45mins to an hour. Tickets were W5 500 per person and around W11 000 for our small car each way. 

Thanks to KoreanTrails.org here is some information on the bus route to get to Gauchi Harbour from Tongyeong city centre:

"Bus 607 runs from Lotte Mart in Tongyeong out to Gauchi Harbour.
Buses leave Lotte Mart at 6am, 8:05, 10:05, 12:05, 14:00, 16:00 and take 45-50mins. 
Bus 607 starts its route at Seoho Market 20mins earlier, with the exception of the 6am bus, which starts at Lotte" KoreanTrails.

The hike itself wasn't particularly challenging, but there were some very steep parts where we all had to scramble on our bums, or hang on for dear life while descending stair cases. You are making your way across actual jagged cliff peaks so even though the distance doens't seem that much (about 7km from east to west) it is pretty slow going for most of the way. It was a good 4 -5 hour hike but the views from the top were incredible. 

We were also very lucky with the weather, and had clear blue skies the entire way. 

The hike itself is designed to end at the ferry terminal, so you have a few options. Either catch a shuttle bus (which may or may not be running at the time) to the main start of the hike,  grab a taxi bus (we ended up doing this and it cost us W20 000 which we split between the 5 of us) or you can walk to the start which is a fairly long distance. You can also choose to do the hike backwards but I think the last thing you will want to be doing one you finish the hike will be walking along the main road to the terminal. 

The shuttle bus leaves the harbour 7 times a day running around the island. In the morning it runs clockwise at 6:50am, 7:45, 9:45 and 11:45. In the afternoon it goes counter-clockwise at 1:45, 3:45 and 5:35. The afternoon buses leave Donji at the far west of the island, bound for the harbour at 2:10, 4:10 and 6:10. 

We had packed camping gear and made our way to a quiet beach area. The Korean families were all jam-packed in the car park, as they tend do do (Korean style camping is VERY different from South African style camping). We managed to scramble up a small hill behind the main campsite onto a patch of land (it seemed to be private but the owner didn't bother us and we made sure to clean up everything after our stay) and had the most amazing views from the doors of our tents.

It was one of the best hikes I've done in Korea so far!

Weekly Wishes {6}

Hello and welcome to my Weekly Wishes series where I talk about my goals and wishes for the week ahead. Popping them here on the blog will hopefully help me to stay on track with the things I want to do or get done. These posts are part of a link up by The Nectar Collective where Melissa has a wonderful community of women who link up their weekly wishes and are there to support and encourage one another. It's also a great way to make new friends and find new blogs to follow, why don't you join me?

THIS WEEKS WISHES

I have only one for this week. I wish my Grandpa would get better soon. He had a stroke recently and isn't doing very well. It's so hard being on the other side of the world when family members are sick. Gramps, take it easy and don't eat too many rusks, actually, you can have as many rusks as you like, I'll tell Gran.

Gaeamsa Temple, Buan South Korea

One rainy Sunday afternoon, Farmboy and I took a drive out of town to visit one of the temples close by. I had heard that Gaeamsa temple was particularly beautiful during the Spring when the cherry blossoms are flowering. I have been told it is one of the quieter places to go to enjoy the pretty blossoms, without all the crowds that usually flock to places like Gwangyang and Jinhae.

It was a grey and gloomy day but Gaeamsa temple was still an interesting place to wonder around and take photographs. It's the middle of summer now so everything is beautiful and lush, with green colours all around. Inside the main temple, we were surprised to see the original architecture still in place, very old and worn down, but beautiful none the less. Most of the other temples we have visited have all been remodelled and look very new and have lost the authentic charm of their original structures. This temple still had that charm, and it was fascinating to see.

After strolling around we took a drive to Gochang (now that we have our little red car we are able to go wherever we like...it's been a game changer for us!) for lunch and found a delightful retro inspired coffee shop for a well deserved slice of cake.

"Gaeamsa Temple (개암사) is a small, quiet temple built in 634 AD during the Baekje Dynasty. Historical records tell about three-year restoration campaign undertaken by the people of Baekje after the fall of the dynasty. Daeungjeon, the temple's main sanctuary, has been designated as Treasure No. 292. The building itself expresses both refined beauty and majesty as it stands in harmony against Ulgeum Rock, seemingly taking the role as its steadfast protector" Visit Korea

Address:

248, Gaeam-ro, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do 
전라북도 부안군 상서면 개암로 248 (상서면)

Blueberry Picking Styled Photoshoot

This is the fourth styled shoot that my friend Storm and I have worked together on. We both have had such much fun organising and brainstorming ideas before each shoot, as well as scouting out locations. We started styling shoots earlier this year as a way of growing our creativity, and being productive here in South Korea. I take the photographs, hair and makeup and Storm handles the clothing and general styling of the model and our location. 

So far we have done a flower crown shoot, a late afternoon picnic beach shoot, and a Korean temple.

We hope you enjoy these photographs from a trip to a blueberry farm near the small town of Jeongeup, South Korea. A huge thank you to our beautiful model Helen, a Southern Gal from the US who was such a delight to work with. 

x

Blueberry Chocolate Banana Bread {recipe}

After the success of my last cranberry chocolate chip banana bread recipe (and the fact that I had 5 bananas that were so black and nasty, they were about the walk themselves outside) I adapted the recipe to include some blueberries. It's blueberry season here in Korea, and boy oh boy did those blueberries not jus make this my best banana bread yet! 

I love that this recipe is so versatile. You can change up the flour (I substituted some buck wheat flour in this mixture to reduce the carb count...hubby is still not sure about me trying to make sweet treats healthy so I am going about it slowly so hopefully he doesn't notice). You can also use any other fruit you would prefer instead of the blueberries. Cranberries have worked well, apple would be good too. And you can add in any extras that yo fancy too, like almonds, walnuts or cinnamon.

PREP: 5 MINS COOKING TIME: 30MINS - 1 HOUR 

-it again took a VERY long time for my bread to cook, but that is because I have a little oven that gets hot very quickly and tends to burn things on the top without cooking through. I would put the timer on for 20 minutes and then check your bread every 5 minutes after that. You will be able to see whats going on in your oven, and you also know if you have a decent 'will-cook-through-without-burning' oven. You want the bread to be moist, but cooked. Dry banana bread is horrid. So keep testing with a sharp knife. If it pulls away clean, your bread is ready. If it comes away with even a little gooey dough on the knife, leave it in for a few more minutes.

INGREDIENTS

-3/4 ripe bananas, smashed (my banana were black black black, had been frozen and then thawed and worked absolutely perfectly! No need to freeze yours, mine were just sitting in the freezer until I could find a use for them).

-1/3 cup coconut oil (you can use butter if you don't have coconut oil)

-1/2 cup brown sugar sugar 

-1 egg, beaten

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-pinch of salt

-1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used 1 cup of regular cake flour and half a cup of buckwheat flour to make it a tiny bit less full of carbs)

-handful of blueberries

-handful (and a half!) of chocolate chips/any chocolate

METHOD

No need for a mixer, a bowl and wooden spoon are more than adequate. 

Preheat your oven to 180C. 

With a wooden spoon, mix your coconut oil into the mashed banana. Add the sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, and sprinkle in the chocolate chips and cranberries (and anything else you feel like adding...flaked almonds & cinnamon are good extras). 

Pour the mixture into a buttered (I used coconut oil again) loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour, placing on a rack to cool.

Let me know if you try this at home, you can tag me on Instagram (@roxypearce) or on Facebook :)

Life After the Dress {Episode 14} Christine Bernard

In this series I interview married women of all ages and from all walks of life and ask them real questions about their lives now, after all the glitter and sparkle of their wedding day is over. If you'd like to read more about the series and meet the other ladies I have interviewed, click here.

I 'met' Christine through her awesome monthly magazine, Flat White. I submitted a travel post on my a road trip from the Eastern to the Western Cape of South Africa (you can see it here) and we have been in touch via social media ever since. Christine is such a happy bunny, full of energy and enthusiasm and I loved reading her answers to the questions below.

So grab yourself a flat white and get ready to be inspired.

Q1: Please introduce yourself (age, of both yourself and your husband, where do you live, what do you do & how long have you been married for?)

Hello. I’m Christine, 32 and my husband is Warren, 34. I run a Graphic Design business called Flat White Concepts and host a monthly online lifestyle magazine, Flat White Magazine and a blog; The Flat White Blog. Warren is a photographic retoucher and photographer at Flat White Images. We live in the beautiful Rondebosch in Cape Town and we have been married for just over 8 years!

Q2: Which Disney character do you feel sums you up to a ‘T’?

Lilo from Lilo & Stitch. I look a bit like her, my mom is Mauritian so I feel like I have a bit of ‘islander’ in me. She is a very spirited character and I’m very attracted to her sense of ‘weirdness’. Feeling like she doesn’t always quite fit in but embracing who she is no matter what. Her affectionate feeling towards Stitch reminds me of my own love of animals!

Q3: How did you and your hubby meet?

We through friends at a club in Durban. The first thing I said to him is ‘I like your shirt’. We didn’t go out straight away but stayed friends for a while, however my mom told me one day that she knew who I was going to marry and that she would write the name down in an envelope and open it when I got married. The name was ‘Warren’. She said it was obvious we would eventually fall in love because I couldn’t stop talking about him.

Q4: Was your wedding everything you hoped it would be? Would you go back and change anything? Do you have any advice for brides-to-be?

My wedding was amazing. At the time we were living in London so we came back to get married at Lythwood Lodge in the Natal Midlands. Our colours were white and forest green and I wanted everything to look as natural as possible. Apparently a cow walked past the chapel when we were getting married, heh heh. I only got into the design world a few years after marriage so if I could go back I would probably add a lot more creative touches to the wedding. Other than that I wouldn’t change a thing. My advice for brides-to-be is to not take the day too seriously, to be as relaxed as possible and enjoy every second because after months of planning the actual day goes by in a flash.

Q5: Has ‘life after the dress’ been as you imagined it would be?

I don’t think I had any expectations which I think is quite important. For me, I was just marrying my best friend and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

Q6: What do you think makes marriage work?

Communication and a hell of a lot of laughter. Warren taught me not only how to laugh at the world but also at myself. Having the same values and the same sense humour helps a lot.

Q7: What have you learnt about yourself since being married?

I learnt how to take things a little less seriously and to laugh when things go wrong. I have learnt that I am the type of person that needs to talk things out and that a big hug, a cup of coffee and a packet of chocolate raisins always cheers me up.

Q8: If you could describe your marriage in 3 words, what would they be?

Laughter, Trusting, Adventurous

Q9: Do you have any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with my readers about being married? Perhaps something some wise person once told you, or something you’ve learnt the hard way?

Laugh as often as you can. Be yourself (the good, bad, ugly and just plain weird). Don’t take life too seriously. Go out and have fun. Stay in and have cuddles.

• Blog: TheFlatWhiteBlog
• Website: FlatWhiteConcepts
• Twitter: @FW_Concepts
• Facebook: FlatWhiteConcepts
• Warrens Website: FlatWhiteImages

I hope you have been enjoying this series as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

If you would like to be featured here on the blog, you can drop me an email using the contact form above or leave me a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Korean Stationery Giveaway!

It's my birthday month, and to celebrate I want to give away some of my absolute favourite things from South Korea. I want to thank you for all your comments, tweets, likes and love for my little blog and I thought these cute goodies would do the trick.

Here's a little list of what will be inside your pretty package:

A collection of cute socks

A variety of stickers (some in the form of sticker stamps, puppies and other decorative stickers)

2 rolls of beautiful, high quality washi tape in mint green and gold

Avocado Leave-in Hair Fluid -My absolute favourite hair treatment from SkinFood

Mango Seed Lip Butter from The Face Shop

a few surprise extra's

To enter, just use the easy entering system below. If you have any problems with it, first try refreshing your bowser, or pop me an email (citygirlsearching-at-gmail-dot-com). You should be able to enter from your mobile device too!

Good Luck!

*Entries close on July 29th at midnight.

*This giveaway is open worldwide, in other words open to everyone, wherever you may be in the world

Weekly Wishes {5}

Hello and welcome to my Weekly Wishes series where I talk about my goals and wishes for the week ahead. Popping them here on the blog will hopefully help me to stay on track with the things I want to do or get done. These posts are part of a link up by The Nectar Collective where Melissa has a wonderful community of women who link up their weekly wishes and are there to support and encourage one another. It's also a great way to make new friends and find new blogs to follow, why don't you join me?

It's Monday, and the perfect day to share my wishes for the upcoming week. If you'd like to join in simply click here and link up your blog post. 

This Weeks Wishes

1. REMOVE MY PHONE FROM THE BEDROOM AT NIGHT! Yes, this is still on my weekly wish list as I constantly need to be reminded to do it. I spend so much time on social media, that I often need to physically force myself back into the real world and just unplug. Do you have this problem too?

2. Publish my giveaway post. As this is my birthday month, I am celebrating by giving all my readers a chance of winning a goodie bag of pretty things from here in South Korea...think beauty products, cute little socks, washi tape, stickers and lots more!

3. Walk at least 10 000 steps a day with my new FitBit that Farmboy gave me for my birthday yesterday (full blog post to come soon). 

That's all I have for this week.Do you have anything you really need to get done this week? Drop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week everyone <3

#summersplits2014 Yoga Challenge

After reading this post by Che from Indieberries I was super inspired to try out a yoga challenge and stretch my poor hamstrings which feel like loaded springs every morning. I have no idea why my hamstrings are always so tight, but they are and boy does that make my life difficult whenever I try any form of exercise. I read a rather funny description by someone somewhere that hamstring are like naughty children. Without the proper time, care and love every day, they revert to their bad behaviour every morning, and mine are as stubborn as stubborn gets. The days I stretch the most are the days they feel the tightest, naughty things. Anyway, let me get back on track here. I look nothing like Che (who looks like an elastic band than can stretch in any and all ways) but thats why I felt so inspired. We all have to start somewhere.

I have just finished the 30 day #summersplits2014 yoga challenge with @beachyogagirl and @kinoyoga on Instagram where at the beginning of the month they post a graphic with all the poses for the month. These were the poses for June:

You do the pose (along with as many other poses you want to do) snap a picture (Che recommends some good self timer apps here) and then upload it to Instagram and tag them in the picture as well as use the hashtag #summersplits2014 which was the hashtag for the June challenge. I can't say I can actually do the splits now, but I am so much more flexible than I was a month ago. And it took such a small part of my day, but left me energized and ready to take on  anything. I haven't noticed that much toning or change in my body, as I have been working out before the yoga sessions so I haven't noticed any drastic changes that haven't come from the exercise I was doing before, but my body feels different. My mind feels different, and it's a wonderful feeling. 

I did 25 out of the 30 poses, as I was just unable to do the head/hand stand poses without doing serious damage. The reason behind posting images on Instagram of yourself looking silly is so you can track your progress and connect with a wonderful and supportive community. You don't have to post the pictures, but I do encourage you to take photographs so you can look back and see how much you have improved. And you will improve. Everyday. By uploading my photographs I was put under pressure to keep doing so. And this pressure motivated me to do my poses every morning. Even 10 seconds spent in a pose does wonders for your flexibility, circulation and general health. So don't think that you need to spend 2 hours on the mat to start seeing results. If you are diligent, and at least do the one pose outlined everyday, you will notice all sorts of changes in your body. I now look forward to my time on the mat, and use it as a time to relax and mentally prepare for the day ahead.

Do you enjoy yoga? Have you ever tried a yoga challenge before? I'd love to hear from you!

Blute Flower Cafe, Seoul South Korea

** EDIT** The cafe has moved locations and can now be found a short walk from Sangsu Subway Stationer. These photographs are from when they were based in Hannam**

This delightful flower cafe is tucked away on a small side street in the very fancy Hannam area of Seoul. Just as Cat and Dog Cafes are popular here, flower shop owners have come up with the idea of a flower cafe to bring in more business as the flower trade has seen a decline in sales over the past few years. Cafe owners hope that customers will be enticed to bring back the tradition of giving flowers as gifts, and so have a variety of bouquets on display that you can buy along with your coffee or cake.

This particular cafe also offers flower arranging classes.

The food was incredible, freshly baked panini bread with sun-dried tomatoes and salami for myself, and a medley of freshly roasted vegetables for my friend Dominique. The menu was small, but sufficient, and the cakes on display looked so inviting. However, we had a cupcake cafe lined up for dessert and so stuck to their lunch menu. The prices were average, ranging from w8 000 - w12 000 a meal, with their drinks menu more expensive than other cafes I have been to. But the atmosphere is well worth the extra price of a drink.

Address: 

New address in Hongdae:

12 Wausan-ro 14 gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul 

Weekly Wishes

Hello and welcome to my Weekly Wishes series where I talk about my goals and wishes for the week ahead. Popping them here on the blog will hopefully help me to stay on track with the things I want to do or get done. These posts are part of a link up by The Nectar Collective where Melissa has a wonderful community of women who link up their weekly wishes and are there to support and encourage one another. It's also a great way to make new friends and find new blogs to follow, why don't you join me?

It's Monday, and the perfect day to share my wishes for the upcoming week. If you'd like to join in simply click here (and then click on the comments section of the top post) and link up your blog post. 

Last week's wishes were pretty much accomplished (although I STILL haven't been very good about removing my phone from the bedroom at night). I am going to keep on putting this wish down until I finally get my act together and make this change. I also decided not to join another yoga challenge (as I found I was far less focused on the actual yoga poses and more focused on getting the right photograph to post on Instagram, truth be told). So I am going to be telling you a little bit more about another fitness/pilates/yoga guru I have been following and working out with. I booked our cooking course for Bali (my mom is meeting us in Bali for our summer holidays...I am so excited to see her, it has been over a year since we have seen any family!). I also got stuck in with my camp planning and have been doing lots of research into practical ways of helping to end the way against Human Trafficking, by following along closely with the amazing work that goes on at The Exodus Road. 

This Weeks Wishes

1. Continue my research into human trafficking, with the objective of finding practical ways that we can make an actual difference in the lives of those affected by it. 

2. Finalise a new giveaway for the blog (this one is going to be a goodie, you don't want to miss out!).

3. Photograph the new stock I have in my Stationery Store, including putting together a few new smaller sized packages of pretty washi tapes and notebooks.

4. Finish at least 5 out of the 7 workouts scheduled for this week in the Blogilates July Workout Calendar. I have been following Jillian Michaels 3 day shred workouts for the past 9 months, and by now I can officially say I am bored out of my mind. So I downloaded the Blogilates app which is free, and then paid the $1.99 fee for the July calendar and have been loving the workouts! Each day there is a list of video workouts, ranging from 5 - 17 minutes, that are only unlocked on the day you start the challenge. It's still early in the month, and not too late for you to sign up, even if you aren't getting the full 31 days out of your $1.99. It's so worth it! Casey is a spunky and inspiring young lady (but she does talk the WHOLE way through her videos and some of you might find her constant sprouting of rainbows and pixie dust a little annoying. I don't, and I find the more she talks the less I actually concentrate on just how HARD the workouts are). There is no risk of getting bored as each of the workout videos (there are usually 4 - 7 per day) are different and focus on different parts of the body. And I cannot even explain to you just how stiff I am every morning. Even after doing Jillian for 9 months. It works!

On the app and on the website Cassey has free monthly workout calendars and eating plans, as well as forums for you to join and get inspired by reading the stories from the community of women who have seen amazing results. I like prefer the app because all the videos are in one place, you simply click on the next one in the list, do the workout, tick the box when you're done and open up the next video, all on the same 'screen/window' on the iPhone. It's super easy to follow and helps me when I really lazy, which is most days. She has workouts for everyday of the week, but one day is a stretch day where she combines pilates moves with elements of yoga to give your body a well deserved break, while still working on our flexibility and posture.

Let me know if you try Blogilates, I'd love to know your thoughts!

5. REMOVE MY PHONE FROM THE BEDROOM AT NIGHT!

Do you have anything you really need to get done this week? Drop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week everyone <3

The Face Shop Velvet Skin Primer {review}

I found this little gem via fellow beauty blogger Kate (who is also teaching English here in Korea) who blogs on over at Kate Loves Pretty (for lots more beauty reviews head on over to her pretty blog). Kate has a similar skin type to me (more on the oily side) and even thought we have left winter far behind I have a few dry patches that most foundations, especially BB creams, cling to those little unsightly flakes of skin around the nose. That's where a primer comes in.

This particular primer is oil free and scent free, while blending effortlessly into the skin. Once applied it creates a smooth canvas for you to apply your makeup, keeping everything neatly in place. It is packaged with a hygienic pump dispenser, just one pump provides the right amount of product for your face.

Wondering where a primer fits into your skin care routine? It goes under your makeup, but over your other skin care products. So, in order: moisturizer, sun cream, PRIMER, then foundation/BB cream. I find that the matte like texture of this primer works just as well with a light dusting of powder for a very effortless and natural look (when my skin is behaving itself). 

The texture is light and velvety, leaving my skin feeling soft, supple and moisturized. I don't use it everyday, but when I do I am reminded of why I love it so much. If you have oily or combination skin, and want something to stop your foundation or BB cream from settling into creases and fine lines, that keeps your foundation staying put and feels wonderful on your skin, then thisis the primer for you!

I bought mine here in Korea on Gmarket for w1200 a few months ago. 

Do you like reading beauty reviews? Are there any product reviews that you prefer (skincare, makeup, nail polish?). I'd love to hear from you!

Gochang Fortress

This time last year Farmboy and I went off to explore the Gochangeupseong Fortress (고창읍성) in Gochang (Jeonbuk Province). It was a mere 40 minute bus ride from our town of Buan and cost W4600 each one way. We even had blue sky (the first blue skies we had seen since arriving in Korea 2 weeks before) which added to the natural beauty of the fortress.

The fortress was built during the early Joseon Dynasty. It is sometimes called Moyangseong, possibly because the Gochang area was called Moryangburi during the Baekje period.

It is surrounded by Bandeungsan, a guardian mountain to the east, and has three gates to the east, west and north, two floodgates, and a covering tower.

A stroll along the fortress walls brings you to a beautiful bamboo forest. Standing in front of it you feel dwarfed by the sheer size of the natural shoots towering over you. It was eerily quiet around the bamboo forest, giving the area a mystical ambiance.

The entrance fee for the fortress is W1000.

For more info here is a link for more information.

From Gochang Bus Terminal, walk towards Gochang County Office for about 500m.
Cross the Gochanggyo Bridge. Gochangeupseong Fortress is 150m ahead.

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies {recipe}

This  yummy cookie recipe is simple to prepare and all the ingredients can be found here in South Korea. I ordered my cranberries off Gmarket (click here) and the white chocolate was given to me by a friend (she also got it here in South Korea, I think at one of the foreign food markets in Itaewon) you could use any chocolate, but it's baking chocolate that gives these cookies their creamy chocolatey taste.

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened to room temperature

1/2 cup coconut oil (used in place of shortening)

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons corn starch (also called corn powder in Korea)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate (chips or a bar chopped up)

1 teaspoon salt

{These ingredients made a lot of dough. Enough for me to make about 25 cookies, fill a large dish for a cheesecake base and still have enough dough frozen for about another 15 cookies. The great thing is you can freeze any left over dough for up to 3 months.}

Method

1. Mix butter, coconut oil and sugars until light and fluffy.

2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.

3. Combine flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt and mix together.

4. Mix dry ingredients slowly into wet ingredients and blend well.

5. Dough should not be sticky (mine was because of the coconut oil and the humidity here in Korea) so I added a little more flour. If your dough is crumbly add in 1 teaspoon of water until it just holds together.

6. Add in chocolate until evenly distributed.

7. Roll into a log ( I had to to put my into the fridge to harden slightly as my dough was very sticky, simply place it into the fridge for 30 mins to make it easier to handle). Wrap in cling wrap, place in the freezer for 2 hours (it can be kept for up to 3 months).

8. When ready to bake, heat up your oven to 180C and slice your dough log into small round disks and place onto wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Allow to cool and serve.

*please excuse this blurry photo

I also used this dough as a base for the cheescake I made for Farmboys birthday. It worked like a charm! I will be posting the recipe for it soon, but here is what the dough looked like when rolled out and placed in a dish, baked in the oven for 15 minutes and waiting for it its cheesecake layer:

Happy baking!

Weekly Wishes

Hello and welcome to my Weekly Wishes where I talk about my goals and wishes for the week ahead. Popping them here on the blog will hopefully help me to stay on track with the things I want to do or get done. These posts are part of a link up by The Nectar Collective where Melissa has a wonderful community of women who link up their weekly wishes and are there to support and encourage one another. It's also a great way to make new friends and find new blogs to follow, why don't you join me?

It's Monday, and the perfect day to share my wishes for the upcoming week. If you'd like to join in simply click here (and then click on the comments section of the top post) and link up your blog post. 

For the most part, I was able to fulfil my wishes from last week. I made a most delicious cheesecake (recipe to follow soon...and no oven is needed if you use store bought cookies for the base, I made my own cookies to use as the base). I completed my English Camp plan for the summer vacation and I am about to finish the 30 day yoga challenge, yipee! I haven't been so good about keeping my phone in the other room while I sleep, mainly (here comes all the excuses!) I have the charger next to my bed and so plug it in as soon as I go to bed. I'm going to move that charger when I get home today. I also did manage to make a donation to Precious Women Ministry in Cambodia for the work they do in helping women who are and have been involved in human trafficking. Putting this last wish here on the blog really did help me get this done, as I felt accountable putting it in writing. 

This Week's Wishes

1. Raise awareness for The Exodus Road, an organisation that is fighting to end child slavery. You might be wondering why all of a sudden I have been posting more about human trafficking, click here to read why. One of the things the Exodus Road does is to do fund search and rescue as well as investigative operations in the heart of the red light districts in cities all around South East Asia. It costs $35 a night to fund an investigation team (this money goes towards paying the girls for their 'time' literally, in the form of a drink while the team is able to ask questions and get valuable information needed to help these girls). If you would like to donate, click here to read more about the teams and what they do. You can donate via paypal or credit card. You may not be able to physically go and rescue children trapped in brothels, but you can send investigators to break down doors on your behalf. You can hire a mercenary of hope to look for victims of sexual slavery, to gather tips for police partners, and to begin collecting key evidence for rescue. As a thank you for your donation you will get a welcome packet in the mail from The Exodus Road with information about your team, a bumper sticker with “Rescue is Coming,” and some other small gifts and information. You’ll also receive regular updates from your field team about their efforts and will be given specific ways to connect with them via letters or special projects. The Exodus Road

2. Start my lesson planning for the Photography English Camp I am teaching in July

3. Book a cooking course for our trip to Bali in August (my mom is coming out from South Africa to join us in Bali! I can't wait to see her!).

4. Remove my phone from the bedroom, charger and all.

5. Join another yoga challenge for July.

Do you have anything you really need to get done this week? Drop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week everyone <3

#DIYDaysInKorea {first meet-up}

A few weekends ago I organised a little get together for some of us crafty ladies here in South Korea. We even have a Pinterest board for us to share ideas and inspire one another, we're cool like that. 

It was such a nice opportunity for us to spend time together, without spending a whole lot of money, and while still having fun.  There was good food, lots of spray paint fumes, laughs and a whole lot of DIYing (not too much from my end, thank goodness I had hubby nearby to help me cut some animals in half with a saw, for the most part I was too busy taking photographs).

If you're here in Korea and you'd like to join in the next time we get together, join our Facebook group (click here), we'd love to have you!

Sex Trafficking

This blog of mine is for the most part, a place for me to share beauty, to inspire and give people a break from the not so nice things out there that we are constantly bombarded with. I never wanted it to be a live journal, where I pour out my deepest woes and you feel sorry for me and write me comments of encouragement (although, that's always nice!). I want my blog to be a happy place where you can come to see pretty things, learn a recipe or two; a place to visit and feel good.

Then I went to a screening of the documentary Nefarious Merchant of Souls and I realized that the pretty-ness that my blog has to offer can do nothing for the millions of women and children caught in the horror of human trafficking.

My world has been rocked, my heart has been shaken and my eyes have seen things that my mind will never be able to forget. And I don't want to forget. We are so unaware of the evil that is happening in this world, we don't see it on our drive to work, we don't really hear it on the news and most of us simply don't know anyone who has been affected by it. But that doesn't mean it isn't happening.

Infographic from Compassion.org

Right now I feel so passionate about the injustice of it all, and I feel so helpless at the same time. What can one privileged girl do in South Korea that could possibly make any difference? Right now I'm not sure. I am Christian, so I will be praying, but often I feel that "well, you should pray" is just not cutting it for me right now. I want to get my perfectly manicured hands dirty, I want to physically go out there and do something that might pale in comparison to what missionaries are doing in Thailand, but at least I will be doing something. I've been reading Eddie Byun's book Justice Awakening - How you and your church can help end Human Trafficking and this is something that called out to me: "Time and time again, the biggest frustration I would see in others was not knowing what they could do to enter this fight for freedom and justice around the world. Beyond just giving money to other organizations - as good as that was - the questions that kept coming up was, 'What could an individual or a church do to end human trafficking in our day?'...Whatever your gifting is, use it to send a message to your sphere of influence. Whatever your passion is, use it to spread this message of justice for all. So write, paint, draw, speak, publish, compose, act, campaign and do anything else to the glory of God and for the freedom of all people".

I know that a lot of people get a bit iffy with the God word, but I want to point out that Eddie Byun doesn't say that only if you are Christian, and if you can draw, paint, write etc should you be allowed to do your part in this fight. Human trafficking is a worldwide problem, it isn't a Christian problem, or a Jewish or a Buddhist problem, it is a human issue, and we are all able to do something, in our own way.

And so I want to use my gifting; this blog and my camera, to help in some way. I am not sure how yet, but I do hope you will join me in this journey.

I hope I haven't made you feel uncomfortable, actually, in a way I do hope I have. Because it's not when we are in our comfort zones that we can make a difference. It's when we are pushed beyond our bubble, to the point where we are so angry and hurt and frustrated that we can evoke the power within ourselves to make a difference.

And after all of that, I have to also say something else. The fight to end human trafficking may not be your battle to fight. Everyone is wired differently, and different causes may appeal to you more than others. I really don't want to be here on a soap box trying to covert people to join this fight. I just want to raise awareness for something that has made me feel so angry, as a woman, and more so as a human being. I will be posting more information here on the blog, with what I hope will be useful posts about what is happening locally here in South Korea, and more globally. If you're interested that is. If you're not, I will still be posting recipes and pretty pictures for you enjoy.

I want to leave you with these:

Life After the Dress {Episode 13} Andrea Barras

In this series I interview married women of all ages and from all walks of life and ask them real questions about their lives now, after all the glitter and sparkle of their wedding day is over. If you'd like to read more about the series and meet the other ladies I have interviewed, click here.

Today is the 13th feature of my Life After the Dress series, and I am thrilled to have had so many wonderful ladies sharing their stories. The response to this series has been amazing, and these are some of the posts I most look forward to sharing with you. Today's interview is with Andrea from Clever Bird Banter. Andrea is the wonder woman behind both her own blog (Clever Bird Banter), a graphic design business, and recently, the unique kids accessory store; Baby Bird Basics. This multi talented mom (to 2 little cuties), wife, blogger and small business owner sure has a lot on her plate, and with having just moved house I so appreciate her taking the time to be a part of this series.

Go grab yourself a cup a tea and get ready to be inspired.

x

Q1: Please introduce yourself (age, of both yourself and your husband, where do you live, what do you do & how long have you been married for?)

Hello! I'm Andrea (30), wife to Murray (31) and proud mom to Addison (2) and Julia (8 months). I'm also a graphic designer, blogger and craft/DIY enthusiast! Murray and I have been married for nearly 5 years and we've just (last Saturday!) moved into our dream house in Howick, in the beautiful KZN Midlands.

Q2: Which Disney character do you feel sums you up to a ‘T’?

I’m definitely Ariel, The Little Mermaid - minus the voice of course - my husband would attest to that despite my efforts at singing! I would describe myself as determined, quirky, curious – I wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m certainly not afraid to break the rules. I have a romantic outlook on life and have a tendency to be a bit stubborn. Like Ariel, I love to re-purpose everyday finds into useful things (I wouldn't go as far as brushing my hair with a fork though!)

Q3: How did you and your hubby meet?

Murray and I met through mutual friends while we were both living in London, although I remember his name from school days and we are pretty certain we both attended some of the same events and parties! We’d been introduced on the top deck balcony of The Boathouse in Putney, overlooking the river Thames, where we spent ages talking until I decided to leave (I wasn't feeling well!) We connected on Facebook shortly after and the rest, as they say, is history ;)

Q4: Was your wedding everything you hoped it would be? Would you go back and change anything? Do you have any advice for brides-to-be?

Wow! Let me begin by telling you that a) Murray and I were married before we’d even been together for a year, and that b) we went from engaged to married within 7 weeks - just to clarify (what most people at the time were thinking): I wasn't pregnant! I knew within the first three months of dating that Murray was The One.  After a couple of months, the issue of his visa running out (we were still in the UK at this stage) started casting a huge shadow over our relationship. I was fully prepared to move back to SA with him but we were both happy in London and wanted to get British Passports. After speaking to immigration lawyers, we decided that getting hitched was the best way forward! Our families were on board and amazingly we managed to plan a beautiful full-on wedding here in SA in a very short time frame! It was a wonderful day and there are very few things I would change. Sadly, Murray’s mom passed away shortly after our wedding so, visa reasons aside, I do believe in my heart that it was meant to happen when it did so that she could be there to share the special day with us.

My advice for brides-to-be is simple: don’t forget what a wedding is truly about, it’s not about the big party and impressing everyone, it is about your marriage – remember to spend time with each other on the day! I know this sounds obvious but there are so many guests around that bride and groom are often apart while making the rounds to thank and greet everyone – steal a few moments for each other <3

Q5: Has ‘life after the dress’ been as you imagined it would be?

To be honest, life has carried on much as I expected it to. We obviously party/socialize less but I think that has more to do with age, settling down and children!

Q6: What do you think makes marriage work?

Communication, communication, communication! You can be the most well-suited couple on earth but if you aren't able to communicate with each other, life will be very difficult.

Q7: What have you learnt about yourself since being married?

I’ve had to practice much patience and compromise – especially during our first year of marriage because we hadn't really lived together properly before that and were still learning things about each other. I like things my way and so does hubby so we can butt heads a lot, haha!

Q8: If you could describe your marriage in 3 words, what would they be?

Ooh, I really battled with this question – it’s so hard to pick only 3 because there are so many words that I’d need to use to describe the full spectrum of amazingness that is our marriage! I know it’s probably a bit of a cop-out but I’m going to go with “living, loving, learning”

Q9: Do you have any pearls of wisdom you would like to share with my readers about being married? Perhaps something some wise person once told you, or something you've learnt the hard way?

Being married doesn't automatically turn you into some different person, one half of a whole - you still get to be you and you still need to focus on living your own dreams and making your own happiness. Obviously these ambitions need to consider your spouse, and children in our case, but I think it’s important to keep following your own passions as well as creating new dreams and having new hobbies etc with your partner. Marriage also takes energy and effort – you have to put in the time to make it work and to build a rock-solid foundation.

• Blog: cleverbirdbanter.com
• Website: andreabarras.com
• Twitter: @andreaCbarras
• Facebook: CleverBirdBanter
• Instagram: cleverbirdbanter
• Pinterest: cleverbird

I hope you have been enjoying this series as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

If you would like to be featured here on the blog, you can drop me an email using the contact form above or leave me a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!