Travel with me: Sri Lanka

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well.
Recently I got the opportunity to go to Sri Lanka with two of my closest friends for a holiday and it was such a memorable holiday that I really wanted to share some of my favourite memories and the top 5 places we visited whilst we were there.

1. Horizon hill top villa, Unawatuna
The first place on my top 5 is actually the hotel that we stayed at for the week we were there. The hotel itself is fairly small and is situated on the south coast of Sri Lanka in a town called Unawatuna, where it sits on the top of a hill looking out over the sea. The staff were extremely friendly and the hotel was so well kept. We were so lucky and we ended up getting the sea view apartment and the views we had were absolutely incredible and was just the right amount of space for the 3 of us. The cost of the hotel was very reasonable and activities were planned everyday for us when we told them what we wanted to see.

2.  Jungle beach
Out of all the beaches we went to this was by far our favorite so we ended up visiting many times and it was very close to where we were staying. It was quite a small private beach and required you to walk through the jungle to get to it which added to the excitement. The sea was lovely and not too rough and the beach itself was amazing. We visited one side of jungle beach which was right by the Japanese peace pagoda and was slightly smaller than the second and more private. The second place was the other side further along from the peace pagoda and also had a small café which sold cocktails and snacks which was perfect for us being their all day.

3. Yala National park
Yala national park was by far my favorite place that we visited whilst we were in Sri Lanka. The national park itself was not in Unawatuna so we did have to travel 3 hours from the hotel to get to it but it was definitely worth the long journey. Me and my friends had made a list of places and things we wanted to see whilst we were in Sri Lanka and at the top of my list was so to see an elephant but not in a sanctuary or zoo and this is where I finally got to see what I wanted. We seen so many animals and the safari itself was a good length of time and we were so blessed to have such lovely weather and lovely people showing us around.

4. Koggala
Next on my list is Koggala which is a small coastal town in the Galle district not far from Unawatuna. We spent the day driving around Koggala in a tuk tuk and did a number of activities including a lake safari, visiting Buddhist temples and going to the turtle sanctuary. The lake safari was amazing and the views were incredible, we went to 3 different islands where Buddhists lived and also where cinnamon was made by some local residents. We also got to visit Koggala beach which again was beautiful but the water was rough and we weren't able to actually go into the sea.

5. Galle fort
Last but not least is Galle a historic site in the southern region, this place really gave us a feel for what Sri Lanka is like and what it was also like in the past. The area has been adapted to attract tourists by adding souvenir shops and activities such as getting your photo taken whilst holding a monkey but I liked how it still had a traditional feel. It was lovely to have a walk around and there were some perfect spots for photos to be taken and to admire the views.

Overall my trip to Sri Lanka was absolutely incredible and nothing like any place I have been before. We went at the end of June which for the south region is supposedly monsoon season however we didn't have any problems with the rain and when it did rain it would only last about 20 minutes and was often in the evening. Sri Lanka would be perfect for a family vacation, a honeymoon or like us a trip with friends. I have made some very special memories In this place and I really hope to go back some day. Thank you Sri Lanka!

Hotel we stayed at: http://www.thehorizonvilla.com/

Thank you for reading

Lots of Love

Lydia<3

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Walk down Barry Island

Barry Island

Hello everyone I'm in wales for the week and today we had a walk down barry island and along the beach. It was so lovely and i took a few photos so i thought i would share them with you, a normal beauty blogpost will be going up this week but i thought i would do a little extra one and show you the pictures i took.

 Thank you for reading

Lots of Love

Lydia<3

Instagram: lydiakashley99

Twitter: lydiakashley99

Email: lydia.ashley15@yahoo.co.uk

What's in my 'plane beauty essentials' bag

What's in my 'plane beauty essentials' bag
Travel with Lydia 2

On a long flight i feel my skin gets extremely dry and i sometimes even breakout because of the humidity levels and air pressure, i also think you don't want to be wearing makeup on the flight if you can help it so the makeup wont clog up your pores. I don't know about you though but i always want to look 'average when i get off the plane especially if your meeting someone so i always take some spare makeup to apply at the end of the flight. This post will show you what makeup, skincare and other beauty bits i take on with me.

The makeup bag i take is this double-sided clear sectioned bag from primark. It has two clear sections either side which both zip close and was around £2-£3 It folds together with the metal fastner and has a pretty floral pattern on the front which you can see clearer on my previous blogppost: click here
 This is a really practical bag because with the clear wallets i can put it through security without having to take the liquid products out and putting it in a plastic bag. It is also quite small so fits very nicely in a bag. One side i use for makeup and the other for skincare this is really handy so i know which part everything is in and what product i need.

My first section would hold all my skincare stuff and these are the type of things i take. Of course on the plane you wont have all your big cleansers and face washes so i always make sure to take some nice makeup wipes with me to freshen up and remove the old makeup. I never wear foundation on the plane so i don't worry to much about making sure my makeup is completely off so makeup wipes are fine. After taking my makeup off i use a moisturiser, the one i use now is the Liz Earle skin repair light moisturiser for combination to oily skin. I really like this product because the small tube is suitable for travel and the moisturiser it self is very light weight and doesn't feel heavy on my skin. Sometimes if I'm feeling like it i may put some eye patches on before my moisturiser to reduce puffiness and cool my under eyes. I use the skin lite eye patches and i got them from home bargain in Liverpool. I really like them because they are cooling and make my under eyes feel very soft and refreshed. last but not least i also make sure to have a hand cream with me, i get really dry hands and always make sure to apply it during the flight. I have the small Nivea smooth nourishing hand cream which is great for the price of around £2 and is a great travel size.

In the next section would be makeup. Concealer is my angel when it comes to a long flight, i find it hard to sleep on planes so when i come to get off i apply some concealer to brighten my face up a bit. For this flight I'm using the Rimmel wake me up concealer because its a light coverage concealer but brightens my under eyes at the same time. Powder is also important for me just to slightly even out my skin tone. I'm using the Rimmel clear complexion because again is light coverage and has added minerals in which will help my skin after a long flight which may have caused some problems to my skin. A few brushes are also added in to apply these products.

The other makeup i take would be mascara because a small amount of mascara brightens the face immediately. I use the Benefit they're real mascara because it adds extra length and will make me seem more awake. I also think eyebrows are very important to help the face awaken so i take me maybelline master shape eyebrow pencil and very softly fill them in. This product is great because its a waxy formula and with a small amount looks very natural. It also has a little brush on the end to comb through your eyebrows with so is very travel friendly. The last things i will take are some lip gloss and lip-balm. I apply the lip-balm all through the flight to keep my Lips moisturised and the Vaseline rosy lips one is great to add a bit of colour and is very moisturisng. My lip-gloss i use for the end of the flight when the plane is ready to land, i use the Revlon colourburst lip-gloss in strawberry to add a bit of sparkle to my lips and make my makeup seem a little more put together.

This is what i take beauty wise on the plane with me, not everyone take these items but its just what i like to use. I hope this helps anyone looking to take a beauty essentials pack on a long flight or journey with them. I would love to know what you take on the plane and am always looking for recommendations.

Thank you for reading 

Lots of Love

Lydia<3

For more beauty stuff and updates don't forget to follow me on:

Twitter: lydiakashley99

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Whats in my 'hand luggage' travel bag

Whats in my 'hand luggage' travel bag
Travel with Lydia 1

I have decided to do a series of travelling blogposts to help people who are going away this summer with packing, skincare, haircare and any other travelling needs. Very soon I'm jetting off to Dubai for 5 weeks and of course I'm travelling by plane which will mean i will be on a fairly long flight of around 7 hours. I'm quite used to travelling now and have a few essentials i think everyone should have whilst on a long flight or journey.

My first thing would be a nice sized bag. Huge bags aren't for everyone but as long as all your essentials fit comfortably the size should be fine so i wouldn't recommend a small shoulder bag unless your not taking much. I Have decided to take my Celine tricolour bag which is quite big but will save space in my suitcase. This bag is perfect because its very open and easy for me to find things in when I'm in such a tight space.

 My next things would be my personal items. Obviously a purse is a must for buying food, drinks and duty free whilst in the airport. I usually take some money from the country I'm from and also some from the country I'm travelling to just in case i need to get something in the other airport. Chewing gum is optional but when I'm sat waiting for my flight or on the plane i like to freshen up with some chewing gum and it makes my feel better. I take a small makeup bag of 'beauty essentials' with things like moisturiser, lip balm and hairbands in to help my skin from clogging up and to give myself a little pamper. My last personal item would be sunglasses, of course im flying to a hot country and i will need when i get out of the airport but England is also extremely hot and sunny at the moment so i will need them on the journey to the airport.

7 hours on a plane can get extremely tedious and there is only a certain amount of films you can watch without getting bored so things to do is needed. At the moment I'm really into drawing and arty stuff so for this trip I'm taking my pencils and a sketch pad with me to do some doodles. I also always make sure to take magazines and wordsearches, i really like wrapping the blanket around me when its getting darker on the plane and reading a magazine. Any crosswords, Sudoku, magazines, books would be great to pass time and soon enough you would be back on the ground again.

The last and most important few items i think are my electronic items. My phone and Ipad let me keep in touch with family and friends whilst in the airport and again help boredom on the plane, i always end up playing a few levels of candy crush! Headphones again i think are important, the plane ones are quite uncomfortable and i like knowing they are my own ones I'm using. Chargers are optional, some planes let you charge your devices on them and the airports do but if you think the battery will last there no need for them. My phone battery is very bad and needs charging every few hours so bringing chargers is a well needed option for me.

These are just a few things i like to take with my on long journeys and hope this helps other people with what they would take. A more in depth blogpost about my 'beauty essentials' will be up soon!

Thank you for reading

lots of love

Lydia<3
For more beauty stuff and updates follow me on:
Twitter: lydiakashley99
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Email: lydia.ashley15@yahoo.co.uk