Top: Billabong / Skirt: Billabong

I’m really not sure if I could ask for a better backdrop. Would you look at it?! I mean come on…. so beautiful 😍

For the second leg of my Philippines trip, I was fortunate enough to travel to an area called Puerto Galera. Not going to lie, I definitely was notttt as big of a fan of Puetro Galera as I was of Popototan Island. But, more on that later! I will be posting a summary of my Philippines trip shortly. For now, we focus on my gorrrrrgeous mermaid coloured outfit from Billabong. 

The colours on this Billabong crop top/skirt combo are to DIE. They are perfect for the upcoming spring season, and I will definitely be rocking this outfit many times over the coming months. You guys already know this, but I am a major sucker for crop tops. They are soooo sexy to me, but not like in-your-face-check-me-out kind of sexy. Crop tops are more…. I’m-so-sexy-but-still-demure-and-modest. You know? lol. Anyways, love crop tops. They are the shit. Especially ones made by the great people at Billabong. 

CLICK HERE to check out the Billabong crop top I am wearing in the photos above! I wear a small.

CLICK HERE to get your hands on the skirt above! Also a size small. ☺️

So much fun wearing this outfit, especially in such a gorgeous location! I was so impatient to share these photos with you guys haha I am obsessed with this outfit. 😄

Talk soon!

x,

Cheers to a great vacation! And now for the recovery…

Anddddd cheers to a fannnnntastic vacation! Seriously could not have enjoyed myself more. Beautiful beaches, sun, and snorkling all day long. That being said, I mayyyyy or may not have slipped off of my 80/20 Skinny Belle lifestyle routine. And by “mayyyyy” I might mean I acted like a total raging pig for two weeks with complete disregard to my health. Oops…. 

We are talking like 5 beers a day (HELLO EMPTY CALS, MY NAME IS ROBYN.) and pretty much all carbs. Pasta, bread, rice, etc etc etc. You name it, all day ere day. Not to mention, I drank POP. I hate pop. Like literally the dumbest drink ever it has no use. Yet apparently when I am in vacation mode I love that shit. (News to me.) Don’t drink pop its poisonous and gross.

Anyways, after my slightly alcoholic/glutinous two weeks in paradise, I am feeling a wee bit bloaty McBloaterson. 

I have a sneaking suspicion that I may have not been the only one to overindulge this holiday season. Because, treats, treats, and more treats. Yesssss are you feeling the regret now?? I know I am.

So, here’s a few tips and tricks I use to get back on my healthy lifestyle track after a good old fashioned overindulgence.

Dont Starve Yourself

Seriously. Don’t be an idiot. We all know if you just say “I’M NOT EATING FOR A WEEK” you will last about 8 hours (or less) then binge on whatever junk food is closest. So, eat like a normal human and just be healthy. Regular meals, as many natural foods as possible!

Tea

Drink it, all of it. I like to drink a cup of matcha tea in the morning to kick-start my metabolism. Read more about the benefits of matcha here. It is good stuff and you need it in your life. Throughout the day I will sip on herbal teas like chamomile and peppermint — both are good for digestion.

Positive Thinking

Yeaaa I know you are like whatever I feel like crap I don’t want to think positively about myself. NO DAMMIT. You are a queen, and you should know how beautiful you are! Thinking negatively about yourself does nobody any good. So cut it out and appreciate yo-self.

Sleep

Beauty sleep. I am a major believer in it. Your body needs time to heal and repair and lack of sleep has been directly tied to weight gain. Getting a nice 8 – 9 hours a night will ensure your body is feeling good. Click here to read more about the benefits of beauty sleep.

Frozen Fruit

Remember my frozen fruit tip?? Keep lotsss of frozen berries in your freezer and munch on them any time you want. Not only are you giving your body tons of fab nutrients, but you are also snacking on something healthy instead of whatever sugary/junky holiday food you were eating before.

Water

It is ohhhh so important to hydrate. Your body’s fuel is literally water. You need it to survive. So fill up a big jug of it at your desk and keep on drinking them all day long. I keep a 1.5 litre water bottle at my desk and try to drink 3 – 4 a day. It will keep you full and your skin will look gorg. 

And really, when it all comes down to it, you will get back on your normal healthy lifestyle routine and be yourself in no time. 🙂

So there you have it friends! My top tips to recover from a holiday filled with overindulgence. What do you think? Did I miss something? Comment below if you have some tips of your own you want to share! <3

x,

Crop top: Billabong / Shorts: Billabong

Remember when I said a few weeks back that I had an exciting partnership for my Philippines trip?? Well…. *drumroll*….. I have teamed up with my beautiful friends at Billabong Women’s to bring you my favourite looks from their line!

The first look I put together from Billabong is the Ray of Light Shorts and the Ray of Light Top. I am totally obsessed with matching sets and this easy breasy crochet one was perfect for my island getaway. The shorts are SO comfortable, and I will be rocking them all over the city this summer for sure. Sometimes crochet material can be really stiff and uncomfortable, but these ones were really soft and stretchy which I loved. 😊

Want to get this Billabong set for yourself? Click here for the shorts and here for the top. Such a fun little outfit for the beach.

ALSO. Can we talk about my hair? Holy hell does the humidity in the Philippines give it some serious volume. You are probably wondering why I didn’t just go and tame it with a straightener/curling iron combo. Well, my friends, there was no frickin’ electricity on our island between 6 am and 6 pm. So you get my full on crazy “humiditiy hair” that I get on pretty much every tropical vacation I have ever been on. Hope you enjoy it at my expense. 😜

Alrighty team, that’s all for now! What do you think of this gorg Billabong set? Do you love it as much as I do?? Comment below babes! <3

x,

My thoughts on Popototan Island + a resort review!

The benefits of jetlag? Getting to witness and capture the most beautiful sunrises. And two breakfasts. Eating two breakfasts is only acceptable when nobody sees you eat the first. So being the only one up at 5 am every day for the past week? Not so bad if you ask me. 😉

Staying on Popototan Island (near Coron Island) in the Philippines has been an unparalleled experience. It is honestly so chill here and I am getting way too comfortable with the “island life.” My daily schedule pretty much consists of eating (duh), sitting on the beach, snorkling, eating some more, napping, drinking some beer, napping, and sitting and watching the sunset. Again, getting wayyyyy too used to this schedule I have going on here haha. Real life might be a wee bit of a struggle when I get home. 😂

The resort we have been staying at is called Coral Bay Beach and Dive Resort. I have been getting lots of questions about my stay on Popototan so I figured I would give you guys the dirty deets on the exact place I was staying. Let’s call this… hmmm… how about we call this review “the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The Good

Uhmmmmmm have you seen the photo above? It is freakin’ gorgeous. The island itself is quite possibly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The sunsets, sunrises, days….. it’s all fantastic. Not to mention the foliage (trees n’ stuff) is also super cool here on Popototan Island. So lush, it makes me wonder how many days a year it actually rains here. We didn’t have a drop of rain all week long.

In terms of the hotel and rooms, it is pretty rustic feeling but I honestly didn’t mind it at all. Everything is clean and new, it just wouldn’t be a 5-star status if you ask me. Like I said before, I am major feeling the island vibes right now so I kind of really like it haha. But if you are planning on making a visit here be ready for a rustic style resort. 

The staff at Coral Bay Beach and Dive are so helpful, kind, and fun to talk with. To me this also makes a big difference to the enjoyment of your stay. The owner, a very tan Danish guy, is quite the character too haha. That would be the one who was giving me a hard time about wifi on my first day there.

Shitty wifi. Yes, I am putting this under “the good” section. Seriously. Me. The most internet loving person in the world (exaggeration but whatevs) is putting complete crap wifi under the “pro” list. It was honestly a really refreshing experience to not have my eyes glued to my phone all day long. And to be forced to actually pick up a book and read it? A great thing if you ask me.

The Bad

The food. So I was definitely sneaking in two breakfasts every day because that was the best meal they had. The food was honestly awful, and really pricey for the Philippines. There was nowhere else to eat on the island (they totally know this so tricky tricky) so you don’t have much of a choice but to eat in the Coral Bay restaurant. What we did to come prepared was bring some snacks with us for when we didn’t feel like the restaurant food.

The Ugly

Yep I got nada. If you think anything is ugly about a gorgeous private island in the middle of the ocean, you are straight up weird my friend. This was truly a great place to stay and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Okay folks, that’s all from me for today! LOVE YA BABESICLES 😘 😘 😘

P.S. If you have any more questions about my trip, please comment below!

P.P.S. More photos coming from the resort over the next little while! Stay tuned. 

P.P.P.S. ur the best K THNX BI.

x,

Some snaps from Popototan Island in the Philippines!

Holyyy. I don’t think I have ever been without a working wifi connection for an entire week. I feel like I just went through a technology detox haha. For the past week I have been on a small island called Popototan in the Philippines, and it has been lucky if I managed to get out a few iMessages in a day. Needless to say, updating my blog was 100% out of the question. I think the resort manager could tell the second I arrived I would be that guest who was constantly searching for wifi haha. Legit within 5 minutes of arrival he said to me “now I don’t want you on my back asking for wifi all the time, this is the Philippines. It never works.” Hmph. Well, I survived and here we are now. 😜

And with that… HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!! It has been one hell of a year. That’s for sure.

It’s that time of year again when I am going to get really real with you guys. A new year has arrived, and that leaves another one in the past to reflect upon. 2015 was definitely a year of learning. It was one big roller coaster ride, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The year started out strong with a nice big breakup (ha-ha.) I traveled to new and exciting places and took on new opportunities I never thought I would before. This year I truly did push myself to be better in everything I do, and see how much I am truly capable of. I made amazing, hilarious, and beautiful new friends who I know will be with me for a very long time. I cherished the wonderful friends and family I already have in my life. I took on new hobbies. Every day this year, I pushed to make myself the best I can possibly be.

The past is perfect the way it is. Without it, I would not have had all the highly rewarding new experiences I have had this year. Leaving 2015 where it belongs, I move forward into 2016 seeking greater experiences, knowledge, and challenges than ever before. 

2015 was a killer year. Bring it on 2016, I am coming at you.

x,