MY PASSPORT STAMP: Bali

My Passport Stamp is a new feature where we share the cute, quirky and totally unique beauty finds from our trips to various amazing countries. 

I just got back from Bali after a whole week, a week worth of Annual Leaves well-spent if I do say so myself. One whole week under the sun; it feels amazing to look slightly sun-kissed seeing how naturally fair I actually am.

My process of trying to become Beyonce didn’t come easy, unfortunately.

I spent days under the sun, in saltwater – and most of all, drenched in sweat!

Of course it was amazing to laze by Pandawa Beach and getting my feet massaged whilst listening to the ocean waves. It got me feeling like Paris Hilton in her tacky Stars are Blind music video (don’t judge, I was a big Paris fan before) – except without a semi-naked hot guy showing off his abs next to me.

The sunsets at La Plancha have got to be the most beautiful thing. I spent hours doing nothing but drinking fruit smoothies on a brightly-coloured bean bag and listening to Hymn for the Weekend. Damn, that was my Bali jam!

And not forgetting, the romantic dinner by Jimbaran Beach. Although I am not married yet and wasn’t there for my honeymoon, even I couldn’t deny that this place was just über-romantic! It’s the perfect place to fall in love.

But sunsets and Coldplay aside, one of my most memorable experiences in Bali wasn’t the beach, the waves or the surfers….it was my spa treatment!

I enjoyed being at the spa so much, that I decided to purchase some of the products that they used on me to bring back home. Instead of buying something at the drugstore, I chose to purchase a lulur (which is a traditional Indonesian scrub), a strawberry scented body butter and some hand-made soap. All came in kitschy, traditional packaging.

Upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur, I immediately put the products to the test in the comfort of my own bathroom. Although it didn’t feel as manja as having a professional do it on me, it was lovely nonetheless.

Berlulur is basically scrubbing your whole body with a paste.

“Ini bisa tanggalkan daki dan kulit mati ya mbak”, the lady told me.

Getting rid of daki? (I hope she wasn’t hinting that I was full of it) Getting rid of dead skin cells? Yes! I decided to purchase the strawberry-scented one and I swear, every time that I use the scrub on my body, it doesn’t only take out the dirty layers that I have on my skin, it also moisturises and nourishes the dry areas. I won’t lie and make up stories of how it changed my life overnight – but what I can promise you, is that it really leaves you feeling smooth and extra, extra clean after application.

Next I bought body butter.

The sun + The Sand + The Salt, duhhh! Obviously my skin got as dry as sandpaper. I have no intentions of looking like a biawak so I thought that this body butter would be helpful, although I have tonnes of body lotions at home – since I got the strawberry-scented scrub already,  why not get a strawberry-scented body butter to go with that eyy?

It does what a body butter is supposed to do. Nothing special about it to be honest…except for how delicious it smells.

As for the soap, well, what else is soap supposed to do other than to clean your body? These soaps have the advantage of being cute and colourful and looking like giant pieces of candy. It basically acts the way soap is meant to act, but just looking at them will manage to brighten up your day in the morning. It also claims to be able to retain moisture for all skin types, but I don’t really notice any differences— although it isn’t drying, so maybe that’s good enough.

Nevertheless, these products all came at an affordable price and I’m very glad to have brought back a piece of Bali with me. Still, I can say that the next time I go back to Bali, I’ll have to go berlulur at that very same spa again.