September 2016

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Sharing some holiday snaps of my recent trip to Phuket, and a travel journal for the first time on my blog.

Trisara is the resort that I had on my wishlist to visit for a very long time, so when hubby and I started our holiday planning this year, we quickly locked down our holiday destination to be Phuket so we got to stay at Trisara. It is a world leading luxury resort that is highly popular among the celebs and their rooms tend to be fully booked out during the holiday season. It is situated at a very secluded area of Phuket which is far away from Patong (the main tourist area). We booked our stay for 9 days, with the Oceanfront Pool Villa directly from the website, though the price is higher than going through hotel booking websites but we got some extra offers from the package including VIP airport pickup etc.

Flight

Booking a flight to Phuket was more challenging. We wanted to have direct flights as we have a 3 year old toddler, and Jetstar is the only airline that has direct flight to Phuket from Sydney. As we booked the business class, the entire check-in and departure were easy and quick, and the flight attendants were lovely and attentive. Since it is a budget airline, the seats in the business class are not the flat beds. Personally I think they are just slightly better and more roomy than the premium economy seats from the better airlines such as Singapore and BA.  Food was also better than expected, as there were 3 menu options to choose from, and there were lots of snacks and drinks offered throughout the flight.

VIP Airport Transfer

As soon as we got off the plane, we were greeted with 2 attendants from Trisara. They took care of all the luggage, and led us to the VIP airport exit lane so we skipped queuing at the customs and immigration. It was the most amazing and quickest airport checkout I have ever had! Once we got out of the airport, the Trisara chauffeur was waiting for us and greeted us with refreshments and some icy cold towels for the hot Phuket weather. The drive to the resort from the airport was 20 minutes, and the driver spoke fluent English and made a few introductions along the way.

Resort Check-In

I was pretty much amazed by Trisara’s services the minute I stepped into the resort.

We arrived at the resort around 9pm feeling tired, but we were sent to our room straight away instead of going into the reception for checking-in. Upon arrival, there was a lovely Trisara hostess waiting for us in front of our villa, she was very welcoming and friendly and instantly bonded with my boy. When we stepped into our room, literally everything we could ever thought of having was ready. It was so thoughtful of them having the baby cot, bottle sterilizer, baby bath tub and amenities organized before we even made a request. She offered us a room tour (yep it was a big villa!), and welcomed us with another round of refreshing icy drinks, fruits, and chocolates, and also prepared lots of cupcakes for my boy.

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Breakfast

Of course the breakfast is the most important meal of the day on vacation! I always look forward to spending some relaxing quality time at the breakfast. The restaurant is located oceanfront, and every table has a beautiful ocean view. The breakfast is divided into half – there is a self-serve bar for continental breakfast including varieties for pastries, cereals and Asian dumplings, and there is the A La Cart for hot breakfast with English, Thai, Japanese and Chinese choices. What I like the most is the juice bar for custom orders, and I normally get them to make a pure green juice with a blend of veges!

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Ocean Front Pool Villa

Such an amazing room – I love the Balinese aesthetic to it and it still looks modern and up-to-date. The room is big enough for my son to run around the whole day without feeling crammed. The private infinity pool is the highlight, as it is big enough for a proper swim and also ideal for chilling out. There are complimentary fruits, nespressos and local flowers replenished every day.

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Play and Eat

For getting around in the resort, you can either walk, or take their buggies which is our main ‘transportation’ during our stay. Everywhere in the resort is heavenly and totally instagrammable! They have a private beach that is voted as one of the world’s top beaches, and there is a big infinity swimming pool by the beach where you can relax. As a family with little kids, we have spent a lot time in the public pool area as they also have a little kiddy swimming pool with very shallow water where my boy absolutely enjoyed playing.

Other activities they provide include daily yoga, Pilates, lots of water sports, Thai cooking classes, well-being classes etc. For kids they have a dedicated kids room that is filled with toys for all age groups.

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Overall the service and hospitality at Trisara was impeccable and flawless. I have stayed at many luxury resorts/hotels, and Trisara is by far the best in terms of hospitality. Every hostess knows our name everywhere we go, and we are always greeted with the warmest welcome and help. They are very attentive with every little details, and this is the only place where I feel they look after our stay beyond our expectations. At one point I had even sent a driver to purchase some nappies for my boy at midnight! The daily house keeping and evening turn down services begin as soon as we leave the room without asking! And they are done before we get back with everything fully replenished and tidied. I really can gush about it forever, but I better stop here so stay tuned for part 2 which I will talk more about the food, shopping, and my holiday looks!

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I’ve finally got some time to paint my own nails (been having lots of shellac lately), and I picked Chanel Le Vernis Monochrome 522 (bought here in Australia) for this week. Since I always receive a lot of compliments on this nail color every time I wear it, I thought I’d post some swatch pictures on my blog.

It is from the newly reformulated Chanel Le Vernis Longwear line which has more superior consistency and finish than the previous discontinued line. Monochrome applies completely smooth and streak free (even for the first coat), and it gives a full opaque and glossy gel-like finish with 2 coats. Lasting power is about 5-7 days on me (with buffing the nail prior to the application which tends to extend the nail polish wear time significantly). It’s a very elegant pale dove grey color in cream finish that compliments my skin tone.

Swatched with 2 coats of Monochrome

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It doesn’t matter how many new and innovative makeup removal products I try, at the end of the day I always go back to the most trusted makeup remover – the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil. This year Shu has released a new reformulated cleansing oil – the Anti/Oxi Skin Refining Cleansing Oil (bought here in Australia) and as I was in the need for restocking, I decided to give this new formula a try.

A quick rundown on my experience with the Shu Uemura cleansing oils. They have lots of different oils for different skin types, and I have pretty much used most of them. Prior to this, my favorite was the Blanc Chroma (the purple oil) as it felt refreshing and I liked the slight brightening effect after washing. As far as I know, their best seller last year was the Ultime8 which I found to be too rich for my skin so I did not repurchase (but it is really great for dry skin).

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I have been using the new formula for about a month now, and it is now my favorite cleansing oil. It is formulated with green tea extracts along with other anti oxidant ingredients for a more clear and radiant complexion.  The main differences in this new formula

  • no mineral oil
  • can be used with wet hands
  • suitable for removing lash extensions! (which doesn’t really apply to me)
  • more powerful removability

This oil lives up to my expectations.  I am not the biggest fan of using cleansing water for removing makeup on a daily basis as it can be a little too scrubby with the use of cotton pads, and I feel it is pulling my skin too much. With cleansing oil it is lubricating enough to not cause any friction to the skin. The consistency of this oil is lightweight and doesn’t feel greasy, and it emulsifies (turns into milky lotion) really well as soon as you add water to it. Takes less than a minute to completely dissolve the most stubborn makeup including liquid eyeliner, waterproof mascara, long lasting foundation and liquid lipstick. It makes the skin feel supple, smooth and refreshing, and leaves no oily film and residue to the skin. Of course second wash is recommended! It doesn’t clog the pores nor cause breakouts for me.

The new formula also promises to give you an extraordinary cleansing experience with a blend of essential oils that invigorates your senses while washing. To me it mostly smells like strong green tea (more like Matcha) with a hint of lavender and wood. It is quite an interesting stimulating scent, but not blowing me away.

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Overall I highly recommend this oil. It comes in 3 sizes – 450ml (as pictured), 150ml and 100ml (good for travel). A bottle of 450ml normally lasts more than 6 months with daily use.

 

 

 

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