Nelson's Bay in Winter // Adventures

The uni semester break is winding up and for some reason we decide to drive two and a half hours North of Sydney to Nelsons Bay ... during Winter (because Summer is “been there, done that”). 

Nelsons Bay is pretty slow and chilled (literally) during the Winter months so we were excited for a lazy weekend getaway from the Sydney flurry filled with beach dawdles in the sun, dolphin spotting and, of course, guilt free trashy Foxtel (cue Dance Moms and Real Housewives of Melbourne).

But do put these on the To-Do when you visit J
- Dolphin/Whale watching cruise (we managed to also catch a dolphin from the pier!)
- Wake up at 6:20 AM (Winter) for the sunrise at Nelsons Head Inner Lighthouse
- Dawdle around d’Albora Marinas
- Walk past the Marina along the beaches to some lookouts (or bike it!)
- Laze in the sun and soak the views at Soldiers Point
- Pack a picnic and nab a bench near the waterfront
- Red Neds Gourmet Pie Bar on Stockton St (does Woolies have Lobster, Prawn & Barramundi pies at your convenience? No)

Enough chatter, just photos so enjoy the montage!

MVPD

 xx

The Eatery Review + Roaming Byron Bay // Review ~ Adventures

Splendour festival is hard work, especially when you give yourself 3 hours to wake, freshen up (so you don’t look like the zombie you woke up as) and roll up those pesky sleeping bags before getting stuck in traffic back to Byron!

 

A little birdie (a.k.a. local Byron gal) told us to hit up ‘The Eatery’ in our cafe search because apparently ‘Cafe Byron’s’ coffees weren’t on point.

So what a better way to refuel – the place was a cafe + bar + bistro (wow slaying) but we were here for the lunch. Afterwards was the time to explore all the surfy stores, boutiques and arcades peppering Jonson St (and the surrounding streets).

 

The order was a slider plate of smoked salmon, bacon and chorizo ($15) and two Coconut Chia Bowls ($11). I’m not one for sliders but the chorizo one was rather good. I thought it would be punch-to-your-throat spicy but no! The sausage was cut not too thick, the mayo was light and the thick grated carrot was a nice change of texture (a little fresh crunch).

 

For me, chia seeds need something special as they taste quite plane on their own. Sweetened with maple syrup was a bit basic I thought and would have much rather more stewed fruit and the sweet vanilla labneh to do that job. It was also topped with this “Magic dust” as they called it which was a sweet version of dukkah with goji berries. It wasn’t a stand out dish, even the dukkah was kind of lost in the stewed fruit and quickly lost its crunch. I feel that Aboutlife do better chia pudding (I’m sorry).

 

The magic dust also graced the banana smoothie which I think properly tasted like banana unlike other I’ve tried! No sneaky caramel flavour here!

 

 

So this was where we chilled (with our luggage too) to watch Byron locals do their thang listening to a really good singing busker across the road.

 

Sadly one major flaw was the service time (like how fresh can you get with all the elements of our dishes already premade). Even though we got seated and ordered immediately, ours and another fellow splendour table took ages to come out like the cookie monster ate our orders or something! L The staff were really lovely though but we were so hungry we had to inquire after our order. How they didn’t manage to notice two tables sitting around for ages - I don’t know.

 

Let’s not end on this bad note, the place had the atmosphere that I was needing at the time – lazy and quiet with bar tenders working softly away.

Three Word Summary: Relaxing, Lively, Local
Ambience 4/5
Fare $$
Service 2/5
Foodwise 3/5

MVPD

Xoxo

On the Road Again

Tips for road trips
My parents are big on the 'you must see your home country because you explore abroad' hence why I have only ever been overseas once - to Vietnam. Hence why we always go on road trips like drive to Melbourne if we have a spare week.

 

So I've seen my fair share of little country NSW towns and gigantic landmarks like the Big Pineapple in Bunderberg and the Big Merino in Goulburn!

Now that means I slightly (only slightly) fancy myself the semi-ultimate road tripper so here's a little guide of how to survive the sore bottom, the leg cramps, solve the playlist dilemma and have you looking happy and fab (non hobo) at your destination.

 

1. I hope I don't need to tell you this already but: UPDATE YOUR IPOD. You can only go so far with the last sync circa 2010. Seriously, challenge yourself to listen to all the songs that come on shuffle (that's right - don't you skip that Hannah Montana track).

2. Plan de snacks.
Don't immediately go for your chips and crisps because: chips/crackers = dehydrate = drink water = busting for the non-existent toilet on the road (AKA The Water Cycle).
So get some hydrating snacks in the cooler bag too like fruit, carrots/cucumbers/Celery with dip.

3. Pack plenty of water - stay hydrated kids!

4. Pack simple cutlery in case you make that grocery stop and don't have the props to, for example, demolish your shared tub of ice cream!

5. Girls (and guys) pack all your face essentials or you’ll be wishing your face didn't look like a peeling mandarin.

6. Be equipped with thongs so those little toes of yours actually get to see the light (would you want to be crammed in sneakers for a 6 hour road trip – didn’t think so). Show your neck some love too with a contour pillow!

 

7. SUNNIES – last thing you need are holes in your retina to stop you from enjoying the passing landscape!

8. Don’t always Bypass the towns (unless its Bowral  - I joke). Country towns for some reason usually have a sweets store and of course nice cafes and homey bakeries for your lunch fix. (BONUS: non-cliche insta photo of a cafe no one else in Sydney has been)

 

9. If you can, plan a road trip where you can visit the Weekend markets! Places like Byron Bay have farmers and miscellaneous markets – just check which weekend of the month they’re open!

So there you have it, my list that hasn’t quite let me down yet. I’ll leave you to fight over who drives and who does the washing :P

Seriously, road trips are where memories are made!

MVPD xx

'The Vogue Factor' - Kristie Clements

My latest read was 'The Vogue Factor' by ex-editor of Vogue Australia Kristie Clements. I actually devoured the book in a few days only because I was going out a lot and had to savor every free moment! I'm actually infatuated by the lavish high fashion world (puh-lease, who isn't) and astounded by the sheer luck some people are blessed with to be able to penetrate the sphere of this totally different world! More so, Kristie herself who started at Vogue as a receptionist swapping calls. 

I have no idea how she can play down these 'pinch-me' moments when she's dinning with the Estée Lauder, rubbing shoulders with Beyoncé and chatting with Cate Blanchett!

So I really enjoyed reading about the travels to amazing Armani parties with 'unbelievable food', waiting in backstage Louis Vuitton while pups swarmed at your feet, Karl Lagerfield's small and intimate hosted lunches at his home Rue de l'Universite and the ornaments and architecture in the palace where Princess Mary of Denmark now resides!

Besides capturing the lux and glamour you really get to see the headaches and mini tantrums of running a magazine. The real world stuff after descending from the dream of front row fashion week and ready to wear (RTW) shows in the fashion capitals. 

How they manage to deliver each month is a wonder to me. The whole book is as upbeat as the job itself - never a dull moment! You almost get a taste of the frustration as plans fall apart and photographers and Hollywood agents play hard to get! Here the media and newspapers are the baddie and the insight into girls aspiring to make Vogue can also be shocking!

It's a truly crazy world but boy is it an addictive one! 

Kristie inspires you to take and never doubt your chances, to ignore the pretentious players social climbers of the industry (Cause they don't last), to travel and live abroad and to be determined in your goals in the same way she envisioned to rebuild her Vogue! Also - knowing French may come in handy so you get placed next to Mr Armani as the only journo/editor to speak his language! Plus now she has two very good looking twin sons  (single perhaps?) and very privileged, envious experiences to look back on!

For the rest of us, we can just follow the new league of fashion bloggers on Instagram like Natasha Goldenberg (@ngoldenberg), Anna Dello Russo (@anna_dello_russo) etc etc to get a taste of what she writes about (apparently the Vuitton events trump all).

The book is a definite must read! This would be one of my first biography kinds of books about the fashion industry and it certainly won't be my last! If you want to start out in fashion, or are content with dreaming about fashion (like me) or just curious then this is the one to get into! Needless to say I'll be looking out for other books exposing the fashion industry - the good, bad and downright ugly.

3/5

MVPD