After the joyful insanity that was Coachella, James, Patricia Field and I headed to LA for a few days before returning to New York. Usually, I stay in Santa Monica but Pat had some meetings in Hollywood so we landed at the Loews Hollywood. The location could not be more central or smack in the middle of Hollywood — I’m talking steps from the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Dolby Theatre (where the Oscars take place!).
We all know there’s the Coachella diet, (it’s a thing, google it), however as a beauty blogger I’m more about a different head to toe prep. And I’m not talking about the fashion — I’m saving the big outfit reveals for the music festival, especially since I’m hitting the scene with Patricia Field! And since I’m a beauty gal at heart, here’s how I prep:
One of the best decisions we made when booking our trip to Australia was flying with Qantas. For starters, the iconic Australian airline lets you do a stop over for a few days (at no extra charge) and check two bags! (Plus they had some of the most affordable rates on the market). Each seat offers a personal entertainment screen with tons of new release films as well as television channels so the flight flew by. I feel like we were fed every five minutes and the staff was so accommodating and friendly, it was a great way to start our trip.
During our trip to Australia we went from Brisbane to Cairns, which is like going from the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef, to the top. Besides visiting some of the islands off the city of Cairns to snorkel the reef, we want to explore some of the neighboring towns of the city. One of our favorite stops was Palm Cove, only 20minutes north out of the city. Easily one of our North Queensland destinations, we stayed at the Alamanda, where we greeted by the friendly staff and the beautiful grounds of the estate. Situated on the beachfront, its numerous swimming pools and luxurious surroundings didn’t make us feel at home, it made us feel as though we were royalty. (You can read more about Palm Cove and what to do if you visit Cairns on our previous guide post HERE.)
It’s been an amazing adventure spending this past month in Australia. And I’m so grateful to have a platform like Instagram where I can share so many of my moments in real time. But nothing tops an album to capture the memories forever.
Today, I’m taken over Mosaic’s instagram page (@MosaicBook) and am sharing some of the highlights from the trip. All of the pictures I’m showing will then be turned into a photo book using the Mosaic’s photo app (available for iPhone and Android and can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play).
I’ve featured Mosaic before but for anyone that’s not familiar, Mosaic is a free app, which lets you create a custom photo album book allowing you to pull images from Facebook, Instagram and shared photo albums for just $25. Best of all, it arrives in 2-4 days and takes minutes to create. And if you order between December 11 – 15th, Mosaic is offering free shipping!
It’s one of my favorite gifts to give, especially with the holidays coming up as there’s no better way to capture all your favorite moments then with a Mosaic photo book.
So in honor of my trip and the joys of holiday travel (preferably to warm, tropical areas), we’re giving away 3 of my favorite travel items: The LeSportsac x Ericson Beamon Clutch, Knock Out nail polish in shade, EEL, and a code for a free Mosaic photo book (and shipping) so you can make your own.
There are 2 ways to enter (each counts as a separate entry):
Enter as many times as you would like!
Winner will be announced 12/17. All local, state and federal rules apply.
Cairns – While the stingers may prevent you from being able to go into the ocean (especially during the summer months), there is a lagoon roped off on the pier that allows swimming. The marina on the pier houses countless boats and ferries to take guests to the Great Barrier Reef. We visited both island off Cairns, Green Island and Fitzroy Island and enjoyed the snorkeling around the Great Barrier Reef. Both islands are small and don’t require cars like many we visited off of Brisbane.
Upon arriving in Cairns we promptly boarded a ferry to Fitzroy Island (it’s a beautiful 45 minute commute), where we stayed at the resort for 2 nights in complete paradise. It’s a tropical paradise of rainforest and beaches surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef. It’s much less touristy then Green Island and both family friendly or great for a romantic escape.
As some of you know I decided to spend a month in Australia to avoid the harsh NYC winter – a week in Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney, exploring each city and its surrounding areas.
Brisbane is Australia’s third largest city and is surrounded by great beach towns including Noosa, Gold Town, Byron Bay and as well as Fraser Island, Moreton Bay, North Stradbroke Island and Lady Elliot Island.
As most of you know I’ve been in Australia for the past week. I’ll be going to four parts of the continent – Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney doing a week in each. A full recap of Brisbane and the surrounding areas is coming soon but I wanted to highlight one of the major gems of Queensland, Lady Elliot Island.
Well we made it to Australia! Our first stop Brisbane, although we drove right through, heading less then an hour south to the Gold Coast. The reputation of Gold Coast is it’s the Miami of Australia, although I would have to broaden that stereotype to the Florida of Australia (or specifically somewhere between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami) with all the theme parks such as Sea World and high rises everywhere. Originally we planned on spending a day here before heading further south which is known for it’s secluded beaches. However, we were so taken by hotel stay at the Sheraton Mirage Resort we reconsidered. The Sheraton is the best of both worlds. It’s located less than a mile from Surfer’s Paradise where the main shopping area and hotels are but is it’s own secluded paradise. Located right on a clean and private beach, it has a breathtaking sunset and the hotel property is a dream in and of itself. Surrounded in pools and palm trees, it’s clean, and so open and spacious.
