Bali Favourites

It’s funny how the things I want and need when I am in London living my regular life, are totally different to what I need on holiday. Last week I was in Bali, the temperature was about 35-40ºc per day with humidity levels of about 95%. Even in the evening, the temperature and humidity barely dropped. Suddenly my needs totally changed and I thought it might be worth sharing my Bali Favourites.

Polka Dot Shoes

‘If it’s nice, go twice!’ Which is exactly what I did with these fabulous Boden Polka dot heels! I figured they were far too beautiful to resist and why choose between pink and blue when you can just have both? These shoes were perfect for Bali evenings and when dinner was over, I would slip them off and we would go for a walk on the beach. They brightened up my black dinner dresses and they complimented my more colourful outfits. Perfect!

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Dermalogica Suncream

You can never be too careful when it comes to protecting your skin from the sun. Bali is pretty darn close to the equator and the sun was powerful from early in the morning until the sun went down in the evening. I’m a pale skinned girl and I know I could burn in minutes in Bali without suncream, so I never left our room until I was fully creamed up. I have used Dermalogica‘s factor 50 Sport cream before and I know I can trust it, so when I found out I was going it was the only sun cream I wanted to take. I used it every day along with Dermalogica’s Aftersun and I am proud to say I never burnt my skin at all. Even after a long day of exploring paddy fields, a temple and a rain forest, my skin was protected. I am a pale, pale girl and the Bali sun is hot, hot, hot; this suncream and after sun is the best I have ever used. I cannot recommend this duo enough!

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Sarong

I don’t normally think of myself as a sarong kind of girl, but they are a tropical travel essential. I used mine as a beach cover up, a skirt to wear in the morning to breakfast and I even used as a shoulder cover one afternoon when I wanted to protect the back of my neck and shoulders from the sun. You can always buy these on holiday, but if you have one at home, it’s worth packing it. I was shocked how much use I got out of mine, in fact, I don’t know what I would have done without it!

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Hot Squash

I took a few pieces of clothing by HotSquash to Bali and I loved it all. Hot Squash use tech fabrics to help keep you warm or cool (depending on which collection you shop from) I have a basic pink tee shirt and a simple black dress. I wore the tee shirt in the day with a skirt (or sarong as a skirt) and I wore the dress in the evening. Both were made of light-weight cotton jersey which felt soft and comfortable to wear and did feel much lighter and cooler to wear than most of my other clothes. The super simple shapes and block colours make them great holiday staples to mix up with different skirts, pants of accessories and despite the fabrics being light and comfortable, they were never see-through like other light fabrics can appear.

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Birks

Everyone loves a Birkenstock shoe and I wore mine every day in Bali. From breakfast to the beach, these bad boys came in very handy! Not only do Birkenstocks look cool, but they are insanely comfortable. I got mine from Zalando, but they are also available from ASOS, Office and Schuh.

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Sunglasses

I’m a sunglasses addict and these Miu Miu beauties are my very favourite! The black crystals sparkle in the sun and the cat eye-shape is really flattering. I wore these every single day and I absolutely adore them! Oh and it took me a while to reflect the palm trees in the lenses, but doesn’t it look pretty? As for the amazing LA print teeshirt I am wearing it with, that is by Wildfox Couture (I wear their clothes a lot!).

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Suitcase

On a sixteen hour flight from London to Bali, this Ted Baker suitcase kept me happy. Not because it looked so snazzy as I was wheeling it around the airport. Nor because it made me look fancy as I put it in the Business Class overhead lockers. It kept me happy because it stored everything I needed safely and wheeled around like an effortless dream! I don’t think I can ever go back to cheap luggage, Ted Baker has spoilt me! Read more about it here.

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Bath Soak

I took a lot of baths when I was in Bali, from bath bombs to bath salts, I spent a lot of time in the bathroom! My very favourite product had to be Espa detoxifying seaweed bath soak. It was perfectly relaxing and smelt like a dream. While my bathroom at the resort was stunning, with this bath soak it became spa-like. It was perfect! It’s a good job I don’t have a decent bath in London, I would never get anything done!

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Perfume

I generally wear quite heavy perfumes; lots of oud, rose, fig, woods and spices. Somehow all my regular perfumes seemed quite Wintery and heavy for the tropics, so I opted for something a little more Summery, fresh and floral. I went for Ellie Saab Resort Collection, a beautiful floral citrus eau de toilette. Lots of jasmine, orange flower, florals and a hint of fresh fig. Normally this would be too pretty for me, but it was perfect for the Bali weather and kept me feeling fresh all day long (which in 95% humidity is impressive!) Oh and they say wearing perfume helps keep mosquitos away, so I wore this on my neck, wrists and even on my ankles.

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Monster Headphones

Headphones are pretty damned important when you take a 16 hour flight and a girl can’t always rely up the airline to provide good equipment. These Monster Headphones are my current favourite, they are comfortable, block out a lot of external noise and give great sound quality. Plus they look super cool! Please can we talk about the metallic orange finish? The Kenzo Clutch bag was a lucky find from StyleJump.

What are your travel essentials?