#TuscanyNominate

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We have been invited to enter the Tuscany Now competition to win a weekend away together in Tuscany, you can enter to by following the instructions on their website. We have decided to nominate each other, after all we do share this blog! 
Growing up, we were always very close, we often shared friends, would play dress up and karaoke and do each others hair and make up... typical sister stuff. When you share a room with someone however, that loving best friend bond is constantly strained and that amicable relationship you have tends to disappear along with your favourite top or item of make up. Then life happens and you just grow apart, even though you sleep in the same room. There are only 21 months between us, but as I'm sure you know, at school that feels like an eternity. When we first started the blog, Kirsty was living in Switzerland and Jasmine had just got a summer job over there au pairing, this was the only 'holiday' we've really had together although we were both working full time. Even though we only lived about 10 minutes from each other, we still only saw each other a couple of times over the whole summer and then Jasmine went off to uni and it was a whole year before Kirsty moved back to the UK. When we were both studying at the same university, living just a few miles apart, we'd see each other maybe once a week on a night out or at the gym. Hardly quality bonding time, but sometimes life just gets in the way.
We've been co-writing this blog for nearly 4 years now and have used it as a way of staying in touch with each other and a way to share our passion of well.. buying things.. with each other. Having lived separately for all four of those years and only seeing each other maybe twice a month (even though now we only live down the road!) it's been our connecting bond. Blogging allows us to talk more, recommend things to each other and if we're lucky we get a day out attending blogging events together.
Kirsty: Tuscany, to me, seems idyllic. I have wanted to explore Italy for as long as I can remember and I have always been inspired by the language, literature, history and art of Italy- not to mention the food and wine! I vividly recall watching the film Stealing Beauty on TV when I was younger and idly daydreaming about holidaying and exploring Tuscany, I even spent hours researching flights and holiday lets in an attempt to convince our mum to take us there (to no avail!). As a current history student and former archaeology student the region does hold special appeal to me but I think I would just love the opportunity to spend some down time with my little sister away from our busy lives, enjoying the scenery and discovering what Italy has to offer. I'd also love to embarrass myself attempting some phrases in Italian! I love to travel to new places and Tuscany is certainly on my to do list. 
Jasmine: I have wanted to visit Tuscany for years. The views are promised to be stunning and just portrays the ideal relaxation location, getting away from the daily grind and escaping to the lush green Italian countryside -Absolute perfection! When my family and I (excluding Kirsty) went on our own "Grand Tour" of Southern Europe a few years ago, Tuscany was originally on our must-see list However, we were on bit of a restrictive schedule due to my brother's term times, which instead took us to Venice and then Rome after Kosovo and Macedonia. I really wish we were able to see more of Italy, it is such a varied country with so many beautiful cities and regions. For me, working in London and only having maybe 4 free hours a week, a tranquil paradise of green rolling hills and blissful walks would be right up my street. My aim in life is to try and visit at least 100 cities, 50 countries across all 7 continents and 10 American States. I'm a long way from my goal but I'm trying to make the most of every trip and every year, I'm trying to visit at least one new place. I'm so hoping my bucket list will be complete by the time I'm 50! 
We're not going to lie and say we have the best sisterly relationship, as with most sisters, there's a strong love-hate vibe going on. Despite liking all the same things and being so similar in taste and personality, these things do in fact often set us at odds with one another. As adults, I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we should make more of an effort to re-live those childhood memories.  When we were little we would stage elaborate travel adventures together, sitting on our "magic" carpet embroidered with moons and stars with our sleepover bags stuffed with spare clothes and our favourite toys, flying away to different exotic places together. It would be lovely if we had the opportunity to make that old daydream a reality. More than anything, it would be really nice to spend quality time with each other exploring and doing something we both love and are passionate about. 
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Summer Sun Essentials

It seems pretty silly to be writing about suncare when it's raining today but generally Paris has been very hot this summer. Last week I joined my family on the island of Gozo, which is part of the Maltese Archipelago. We had lovely weather when were there, most days it reached at least 30 degrees but because of the cool sea breeze it didn't feel unbearably hot. In the past I have never been that concerned with sun cream but now I see it more as an extension of my skincare routine. I turned 23 last month and I am convinced that I have lines on my forehead so I'm determined to prevent any further premature ageing of my skin. I already use a moisturiser with an SPF of 15 and sometimes wear a foundation containing the same. When I know I'm going to be outside in the sun or I'm on holiday I will use either a factor 20 or 30. The Avène sun cream was supposed to be anti-shine and it didn't do a bad job considering it's consistency and it lasted for hours and hours before I had to reapply it.

I didn't get along with the Biotherm Anti-Wrinkles Sun Cream nearly as well because it made my face a moon beacon of shinyness. It was impossible to wear under make up but great for a bare-faced day at the beach. It's water resistance was great and my face was still slathered in the stuff after a few hours of snorkelling. La Roche Posay Anthelios XL is fantastic for super sensitive skin. I used it right under my eyes and across the bridge of my nose/cheekbones. It was actually for my baby brother as 50 SPF is a little high for me but that part of my face is the only thing that has ever burned so I thought a little extra protection wouldn't go amiss. 

I know tanning oils are the devil and offer no protection, obviously that's whay 0 SPF means, but I had some really awful tan lines of my feet that I wanted to even out and this deliciously scented pomade-like cream did the trick nicely. Soleil des îles is quite a well known brand here in France for tan accelerators, I can't recommend anything that isn't safe but if you were of the persuasion to get an intense tan, this would be what you should use. I took along some Aloe Vera Aftersun Gel on the off chance I burned anywhere or in case my family forgot to pack any. Fortunately I didn't even need to open this and I found it for only a £1 in a pound store. 

Finally, no hot day is complete without a brumisateur! I've been going through bottles of la Roche Posay one like nobodies business but the Evian is a brilliant one and the first one I ever tried over a decade ago. It's a lovely fine mist of water that sprays evenly which makes a huge difference to some of the supermarket branded ones I've tried that squirt a jet into your eye. L'Occitane Verbena Refreshing Towelettes were perfect for a quick refresh and the scent is perfect for summer.

What are your summer sun essentials?

xo

Portugal | Vale Do Lobo | Day 1

There are no perks to waking up at 3:45am. None at all.  Rushing to get last minute bits packs and ensure the bag weight was under 20kg makes the 45 minutes before leaving for the airport the most stressful. When you finally are ready to go, you always get that "I'm sure I've forgotten something" feeling in your stomach. I had that, but I was so tired I just didn't care!  Driving to Stanstead Airport was fine. It's a half hour drive from where I live and very straight forward. A little hiccup with which car park we were supposed to be in, but that's it.  We got to the airport at around 5:10am and went straight to bag drop. Oh. My. Lord. There were a lot of people. It was anarchy. A free for all. No one knew how to queue and people were pushing in left, right and centre.  Some poor airport attendant was trying and failing to create order amongst the 5 flights trying to check in on a row of 3 desks. This took us an hour, a lot of hassle and ended up changing queues, but got there in the end! By this time, our flight was on final call and we had to RUN to security. Even after being told we'd be let through priority boarding no problem as we had 10 mins before our gate closed, the woman refused to let us through unless we paid. Absolutely ridiculous.. £10 down the drain! My original plan was to get through security and browse the shops for a bit and then go and sit in the First Class Lounge called Escape that I had access to... but alas.. No time to stop and even try out and buy duty free perfumes, chocolates or make up, or even get some breakfast.. We actually had to run to the gate! And I hate running.. After we got there, it was all pretty seamless. Thank the Lord we had reserved seats on our Ryanair flight! 

Although.. some parents with twin babies were sitting in front of us, along with some older ladies who were ordering vodkas (at 7am!!!), and I was flying with two people that hate flying, so maybe no so much.... my first thought was "can this morning really get any worse?!" But actually it was fine. The three hour flight to Algarve, Portugal was actually quite pleasant, and not a peep out of the babies! The landing was a bit questionable though. I genuinely thought I was going to die. No round of applause for him! 

Vale do Lobo Golf and Country Club Resort

About a 20 minute drive away, the scenery changed quite dramatically from sparse buildings and run down sheds to lush greenery and well manicured lawns. This place is stunning!  We drove up to the golf club and main entrance first to check in. I felt like a celebrity walking around the marble and glass building that overlooked the 18 hole golf course by the beach. After we were given our keys, we headed over to our new home for the week; 3 king bedrooms, one with en-suite, fully equipped kitchen, open plan living and dining room, a balcony and a terraced garden with bbq and swimming pool. I could get used to this. 

Dunas Douranas Beach Club

After unpacking it was time for lunch so headed down to the 5* Dunas Douranas Beach Club by the sea front. There was a charity event being held there, so a buffet was on offer, however, we all went for the light option of a Caesar Salad. Pudding however was a different story... On the buffet was jelly and profiteroles. Life made. I had two wisdom teeth out 2 days before flying, so jelly was a welcoming texture!  Now.. I've made the same mistake numerous times abroad.. I'm a very regular Diet Coke drinker right.. And every time I come abroad I'm fooled by the very similar can/bottle design of coca cola light. But no. The taste is so different, I had to remind myself that Coke Zero is more like the Diet equivalent abroad. *must not make that mistake again!!* I cannot have any alcohol until day 4 because of my antibiotics, so I'm holding out for a beaut of a cocktail. But up until then.. Coke Zero will do. Before heading back, we stopped at the beach for a quick peak of what we had to enjoy for the next 7 days. Oh my god. It was beautiful. Down a wooden pathway and over a sand dune, it felt like I'd been transported to the Caribbean! Beautiful blue sea, blue skies and white sand. Just heavenly!  But not to be enjoyed today. Tomorrow maybe.

On our way back we stopped off at Vale Do Lobo Tennis Club for an ice lolly and a look at the facilities. A nice decent sized pool, plenty of loungers and a cheap place to eat if you're looking for "snackky" food. You can use the pool for €5, which can then be used against the cost of food.. No use if you just want to use the pool but good value otherwise. They also have a very small gym there with cardio equipment and hammam and massage treatments for reasonable prices. This was probably the cheapest I've seen around the resorts in Algarve.  Back at our villa, it's time to test to pool. It's heated!!! :O Perfect for a dip in the evening and still cool enough for it to be refreshing in the heat. Changing into my F&F bikini I had to alter to fit me, I noticed my tan lines.. Well actually they were burn lines. I'm gutted. I rarely burn! We must have been out in the sun for no longer than an hour or two and I'd gotten really distinct red burns across my upper back and shoulders. At least this happened now and not the end of the holiday. There's still time to correct it! Out comes the 20SPF and aftersun for the burns and the 8SPF tanning oils to even myself out!   Quick trip to the local Lidl for food supplies, dinner, then bed. Quick pre-bed routine of my Impulse acne treatment 3 step cleanse to clear my skin, aftersun for my burns and salt water rinse for my healing wisdom-toothless gums. Tomorrow is another day. I actually can't wait!