A Week in Paradise

After almost 24 hours of traveling, we finally arrived in Bali! We spent half of the trip at the southern part of the island in Nusa Dua then moved up to the north east coast to Tulamben for the remainder of the trip.

We were moved up to business class for the first leg of our trip!

This is how hubs stayed occupied during the flight.

We arrived at around 3am so we crashed as soon as we got to the hotel. The next morning we woke to an enormous American style breakfast. Living in Korea, traditional American breakfast is something we really miss.

Our pool side villa complete with outdoor kitchen and bathroom.

It even came with a pet.

American style breakfast! Complete with Bali coffee with coconut cream, a new favorite in the Diamond household.

We were constantly surrounded with the smell of incense. Every morning you will find baskets with flowers and incense as offerings to the many Hindu gods. You will even find them strapped to the windshields of cars.

Anywhere you are on the island, you can see kites being flown. They can be a little inconvenient to carry in order to get to a good flying spot though.

We spent the first day recovering by lounging by the pool and checking out the beach.

Hubs and Mike decided to check out parasailing. 

 

As he landed, a swarm of men came over to help him. We found out later that all the men who help with parasailing get paid in turns. That means that if there are 5 men working, each one will get paid $10 for every fifth customer.        

                           

One of the many wood sculpting booths.



Our hotel rescues turtle eggs from the local market and hatches them at the resort. They then take them out to the sea to release them. So awesome! Unfortunately we missed the release but at least we got to see them before we left!

At low tide you can walk out far into the ocean, through coral and tide pools until you reach the water.

He always keeps me on my toes!



You can see where all the boats are now beached, but in the morning they will be floating in the water once again!

My Haute Profile in Ocean Style Mag!

Thanks Ocean Style for profiling me in your HAUTE magazine. I love the way you mix, fashion, beauty and travel!

Click here to read my story on page 110 http://issuu.com/oceanstylemag/docs/v6002



My Haute Summer Travel Beauty Tips!

When traveling for business or pleasure a Haute Travels girl knows looking good with minimal effort for maximum appeal is part of our travel package. When preparing for a trip, some things are just as important as my ticket, passport and carryon bag—my haute look.

Here are eight tips that will keep you looking haute.

-I love a great rosewater spritz to keep my skin hydrated while traveling by plane.

-Haute hair is a must-have so I keep my brown tresses hydrated with frequent steam therapy sessions to keep my strands from drying and breaking.

-When tanning in Miami, Las Vegas, the Caribbean or any where that’s warm and sunny, I always follow up with an after sun moisturizer and self-tanner to seal in my glow. My favorite is by Clarins.

-I can’t leave home without perfectly manicured toes… although when staying at some resorts with great spas I make it a point to hit them first for a fresh pedicure.

-A great lip gloss keeps my kissers fresh and moist while adding color even when I go nude my lips stay haute.

-A great bronzing powder makes my face pop with a fresh flawless look.

-Great brows are important in adding instant glam.

-No matter where I go during the summer, I travel with Skin So Soft by Avon to keep the bugs away.

Staying haute is what it's all about... but most importantly be sure to use products with an spf and use sunscreen to keep the rays at bay.

What are your summer beauty tips?

The Beauty of Business in Las Vegas

When it’s time to get away for a beauty event in Las Vegas… there’s just one thing to do—make it happen. CosmoProf is one of the largest international beauty shows in the world. There is so much to see and sample in the world of makeup, nails, and hair. It really is a girly girl’s paradise. Every new trend, product and tool is right here for beauty industry-insiders to sample.

When my days at CosmoProf North America wrapped over at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center it was on to The Trump Hotel for poolside relaxation and networking. That’s right… the beauty of business never stops! But it doesn’t have to because the opportunity to expand networks and net worth is always a top priority.

While in Vegas, I didn’t get to hit the party scene like I did a few months ago because this trip was all about research and development for a Haute Travels project that I haven’t made public yet, but stay tuned. However, I did make time for dinner over at Caesars Palace with brand strategists from Zone Management, Lila Brown of Ella Bee PR and natural hair guru Robin Groover. But, as you can imagine, when a group of smart people get together they talk about what else… the evolution of rap music! And the guy with all of the insight was a white guy from Boston! It was the most fun that I’ve had in a while. I love multicultural connections.

 

If you’re a girl who loves beauty products and cutting-edge technology that’s revolutionizing the beauty industry—you must attend CosmoProf. Another show will soon head to one of my favorite haute European destinations—Italy in 2012!

What's your favorite Beauty show?

Note: I left my camera at home and had to use my blackberry for photos... *sigh*

My Haute Hair Evolution!

Two months ago natural hair guru Robin Groover (yes, that Robin Groover from Sutera and Too Groovy Hair Salons) launched a campaign to take me from keratin to completely natural. She promised me that in 90 days she could make my hair stronger, longer and more manageable. I’m thinking really?? We’re now about 60 days in and my hair has fallen under her spell! It’s like somebody opened the flood gates and now my hair is cascading down my back just past my shoulders.

So what’s the secret? Robin keeps my hair hydrated with weekly stream treatments and she only uses her own products… Groove Therapy to customize my personal hair care needs. She’s also growing my keratin ends out and trims them every three to four weeks. I’m absolutely in love with the results.

So what’s next? Robin is growing my hair out about three more inches and changing the color. By the time my hair affair is over… I’ll be completely natural with haute hair that’s way too groovy for words!

So what do you think about the transformation?

My Haute Life!

There’s so much for me to smile about today. I’m stretching and growing in ways that I’ve always dreamed about. There is also so much more of me to reveal and that’s what makes my brand bigger than what you see on the blog.

So what’s in the works… a beauty project with a fabulous new Haute Travels investor, an escape with my followers to an exotic locale for a fashion event mixed with a beauty seminar and collaborations with other great brands that see the growing influence of my personal brand.

Although, the blog is quickly growing into a lifestyle brand it’s still my personal labor of love. It really does make me smile when I think about its evolution from a place where I could write about my travels to the site that’s launched an entire new career and business opportunity doing things that I get excited about.

All that I can say is stay tuned because the best is yet to come! And don’t forget to check out Ocean Style Magazine for an upcoming profile on me… that’s right, I’m getting international press! I’m thinking that Paris is next! Now that’s Haute!

What are you doing that makes you smile?

Boseong Tea Plantation

One of the most well known aspects about Asia in general is their green tea. I was never a fan of it before but since moving here, I have fallen in love with having a good cup of tea. We decided to visit one of the most well known areas for green tea plantations with our friends Mike and Alissa. 

The views were fantastic! We couldn't click our camera fast enough to catch all the rolling hills filled with the small green tea bushes.

Quick history lesson: There are around 20 tea fields in the city of Boseong. These tea fields are some of the most famous in Korea and account for 40% of Korea’s total green tea production. We visited the Daehan Plantation, which is one of the largest. It was established in 1957 and has hills reaching 350 meters. It was originally planted during the japanese occupation of Korea, and then it was purchased by Korean entrepreneurs in 1957 and transformed into a major tourist destination. 

And then I met my long lost daughter, or at least with that amount of spunk, she might as well been. Her mom spotted me across the way and called me over for a picture with her. This sounds odd but it's actually not that uncommon for people to ask foreigners to take pictures with them. 

 And then this happened. We can't take them anywhere.

 Mmm green tea ice cream. Not as good as it looked.