Why You Should Add 'Milford Sound Overnight Cruise' To Your Bucket List

Milford Sound - there's a reason why they call it "the eighth wonder of the world". One of the most beautiful places on earth (that was carved by glaciers in the ice age, no less) and set in the heart of the stunning Fiordland National Park, the sights will leave you truly awestruck. It's an unmissable destination if you're visiting New Zealand's South Island.

The best way to see Milford Sound is by ship or helicopter, and the majority of people do a daytime cruise. Of course it depends on time and budget, but I'd strongly urge you to go for the overnight cruise option for the following reasons.

The difference in price between the daytime and overnight cruise for us was (sic). We would've booked a hotel nearby (these aren't easy to come by and are therefore pretty pricey) and had meals out anyway, so a night's accommodation plus dinner and breakfast was essentially subtracted from the cost. Milford Sound is remote so you need to book transport or drive, and the overnight option means that your journey isn't rushed. 

Convinced? Good! On with the review...

Coach connections are available, however we took ourselves (it really pays to have a lovely uncle who lives in Christchurch who'll lend you his truck!) and I can't stress how gorgeous the drive through Fiordland National Park is. If you've seen the Peter Jackson version of King Kong, it kind of looks like you're driving through Skull Island but more glacial. Yep, apparently my niché descriptions translate from my beauty posts to my travel ones!

We booked our overnight cruise costing (sic) each via Real Journeys on the Milford Mariner. What struck us immediately was how relaxed and laidback everything was whilst still remaining really professional. It was only us and six other people waiting to board the ship and the friendly crew welcomed us with huge plates of sandwiches (to my boyfriend Will's delight) and a safety talk.

In the afternoon you explore the waters and shoreline, either via kayak or tender. Will is an adventure seeker through and through so he chose to kayak, whereas I opted for the easy 'pop on a life jacket and get driven around in a boat' option. It reminded me of an open-top bus tour - think tour guide (who's also a nature expert - ours was called Forrest and he was a legend!) at the back, steering us through the still, pure waters and telling us everything there is to know.

Dinner is a three-course affair and it was delicious. Sometimes with mass-catering meals you end up with sorry-looking salads and dry, crusty lasagne but not aboard the Mariner - everything was wonderfully fresh and flavoursome, and they have a fair 'first served for dinner, last served for dessert' system that also stops the buffet from getting swamped.

An impressive platter of cheese and biscuits was brought out following dinner and our specialist nature guide, Forrest, gave a really interesting slideshow presentation and answered any questions. A young couple handed me their adorable two-year-old, so I spent this time singing Baby Shark and not paying much attention - sorry, Forrest!

Will and I were expecting a right knees-up, to be honest - being in our early twenties we were up for a night of drinks and laughter and games with some newfound friends. Well, friends we did make, but we must've been the only people onboard under sixty and as soon as the nature presentation was over, literally everyone went to bed, including the crew.

This turned out to be really fun and romantic as we were the only ones awake, and the evening that ensued can only be described as 'pretending we're Jack and Rose in Titanic'. We bundled ourselves up, took a bottle of red wine up to the top deck and, when our eyes adjusted to the inky black sky and all we could see was mountains and stars, spent a couple of hours feeling as though we were the only two people in the world.

Sleeping arrangements are either a private cabin or a quad-share bunk. We were in the latter as those were the only two spots left on the ship for the date we wanted. It was significantly cheaper and really comfortable and cosy - it's always going to be slightly awkward when sharing a room with strangers, franted, but it was totally fine!

Morning is when things get really beautiful. We woke at 6am and had a lovely breakfast, then we grabbed a coffee and headed outside. Like the night before, it was a case of everyone else staying inside and giving us the gift of having the entire boat to ourselves, and the views were unparalleled. Mountains towered over us in every direction as we sailed through the mist, and it was definitely the most atmospheric coffee of my life!

Things got even better with the arrival of five wild bottlenose dolphins, and it was so beautiful that I burst into tears of joy as they swam alongside the ship and cruised the bow wave. Our nature guide explained that you have a 1 in 7 chance of seeing dolphins in Milford Sound, and the wildlife didn't end there: we passed a family of seals playing in the water and snoozing on the rocks of Seal Point, and we were also lucky enough to see two albatross and a guillemot. We didn't see any penguins or whales, but these can be found in Milford Peak - how special is that?!

We spent a few hours cruising the waters and marvelling at the awe-inspiring sights - we headed out to the Tasman Sea and were taken so close to the stunning, world-famous plummeting waterfalls (e.g. Stirling and Bowen Falls) that you could feel the spray.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience, an overnight cruise at Milford Sound is probably my #1 New Zealand recommendation. Of course the day trips are amazing also, especially as the journey into Milford Sound is as impressive as they come, but there was something really special about spending the night in the depths of a remote fiord and it's something I'll never forget.

Photos by Will Burchill Photography

Your Morning Routine Is Missing This £8 Body Product

Sanctuary Spa Wet Skin Moisture Miracle

Described as
"the ultimate moisturiser when you're short on time"

Meg says...
Sanctuary Spa has been a brand that's inhabited my bathroom since childhood (shoutout to all the various school teachers of mine over the years who received a Sanctuary Spa gift-set with a Boots gift sticker on it for Christmas, holla) and something about the name of this product really intrigues me. Is it the word 'miracle'... probably, yes.

Packaging
Actually really pretty! I've got a feeling that Sanctuary Spa's packaging may have had a revamp at some stage. The cream with the copper rose-gold is gorgeous (a definite 'on the edge of the bath rather than in the cupboard' product) and you get a decent 200ml inside.

Texture/consistency
Like yoghurt, but a thin one... think your Actimel drink rather than your thick Liberté. Honestly, my comparisons in these blog post reviews really do know no bounds. It's got a lovely light consistency - not too watery so that it runs everywhere, but liquid enough to be able to apply it in (to quote Rowan Atkinson in Love Actually) the flashiest of flashes.

Application
This is the highlight! Never in my life have I tried a body product that's as quick and as effective as this. Sanctuary Spa recommend that you apply this whilst you're still in the shower (after you've turned the water off, you put it all over then step out and pat yourself dry without rinsing it off) but I do it slightly differently - such a rebel, I know. I hop out of the shower, dab my skin with a towel then whack the Wet Skin Moisture Miracle all over. This application, from top to toe, takes approximately thirty seconds. Honestly, I'd be surprised if it was longer than that - it IS a miracle!

The miraculousness of this product continues, as it soaks in in an instant (wow, how many 'ins' are there in this sentence) and you can get dressed immediately, making it the ultimate morning product for anyone who's low on time or energy or the motivation to stand in the bathroom applying thick body butter for ten minutes.

Scent/fragrance
Ooh, that Sanctuary Spa Classic scent! If you're British and into your beauty products then I'm gonna guess that you know exactly what I mean, but if you don't however, it's an exotic blend of jasmine, vanilla, sandalwood, patchouli and bergamot and it's gorgeous. I've also just discovered that they do two other scents also (I can't even tell you how much this new knowledge has excited me, it's impressive that I haven't left my desk to run to the closest shop in search of them) which are Green Lemon & Orange Blossom and White Lily & Damask Rose. Edit: you can tell by the photo that I've ended up acquiring the latter, as after I finished writing this blog post, shop run was imminent - I can confirm that it's gorgeous!

Results
A beautifully soft skin with minimal effort. Your skin's optimum hydration moment is when it's wet, so it makes perfect sense to cover it in something easily absorbable and nourishing at this time and it really is as simple as running your hands over your body post-shower!

Price
£8

The bottom line
I'm obsessed. I love how nice my skin feels post-application and throughout the day, as the hydration really does last for hours and hours, and as it's ridiculously quick it feels like there's no excuse not to use it on a daily basis. Sanctuary Spa is always on 3 for 2 at Boots (or a similar offer, like buy one get another half price) in case, y'know, you needed another reason to try the Wet Skin Miracle Moisture after this absolutely glowing review!

Photos by Megan Duffield Photography

The Complexion Product That'll Get You ALL The 'What's On Your Skin?!' Compliments

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter

Described as
"a customisable complexion booster [to] illuminate skin and make lines and pores appear smoother"

Meg says...
I'm late to the party with this one, aren't I? In all honestly, I think it's because I've been confused about what it actually is and what it actually does. Is it a primer, a highlighter, a concealer, a bird, a plane? Let's figure it out together, shall we...

Packaging
As you expect when you buy anything from The Tilbs (and rightly so, as it's a luxury brand that isn't cheap in the slightest) the packaging feels satisfyingly heavy and looks extremely pretty. It's not the most travel-friendly product which is a shame, but the weighty glass and rose-gold lid are kind of worth it!

Texture/consistency
This is a lightweight, creamy liquid. I wish I could expand further on that but in all honesty, I'm sat at my desk right now with the back of my hand smothered in the stuff and all I'm coming up with is: 1. it's very light 2. ooh, it's creamy! 3. not actually a cream though, more of a liquid... so, there we go.

Application
There are a multitude of ways you can apply this: under makeup as a primer, mixed with your foundation for extra glow, dotted over the high points of your face as a highlighter or simply all over your face by itself. It's extremely, wonderfully versatile!

My personal favourite way to use this is both as a primer and a highlighter. Using the huge doe-foot applicator, I sweep a generous amount over my cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. Next, I place a few dabs of foundation over the Flawless Filter and use my Look Good Feel Better Multi-Tasking Brush to blend everything. I go for another dip and dot the product in a C-shape around my temple onto the tops of my cheekbones, on the bridge of my nose and on my cupid's bow then bounce in with the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.

Scent/fragrance
I can't quite put my finger on its faint scent but whatever it is, it's clean, non-offensive and disappears once you've blended everything in.

Shade/colour
This comes in seven shades from fair to dark. The product doesn't actually leave much colour behind once it's blended in, but obviously you want to get the right one for your skin tone and the Charlotte Tilbury website is really useful for helping you decide this. I use 'Light 2' and it's an absolutely spot-on match for my MAC NC20 colouring!

Results
The perfect 'I'm positively glowing with health and my skin really does look this good naturally' lit from within glow. It practically airbrushes your complexion: pores seem to disappear, dullness is immediately brightened and the word 'flawless' isn't an exaggeration. It blends seamlessly with foundation and really does give this Hollywood-esque red carpet look to your skin, especially when you double up on the old primer/highlighter combination. I feel like it gives a decent amount of coverage also which I wasn't expecting, as I definitely use less foundation and concealer and would happily wear this by itself on good skin days (or 'no makeup' days, wink wink).

I can't imagine any skin type this wouldn't work on either, as you can simply alter the way you apply it. If you're dry then whack it all over like I do, and if you're oily then stick to a few teeny dabs along the tops of your cheekbones for glow (not shine) instead.

Price
£30

The bottom line
I'm absolutely obsessed with it. The first time I used it, I genuinely couldn't stop staring at my skin in the mirror as I'd never seen it look more glowing or perfected before. How did I sleep on this product for so long?! If you haven't tried it, you really must - it's reasonably priced for the difference it makes and you'll be pleasantly surprised by how many "which foundation do you use?" or "your skin is looking great!" comments you'll get. Pinky promise!

Photos by Megan Duffield Photography

The Best Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner You'll Eat In Pai, Thailand

I'll always remember Pai as being the place where I spent my first Christmas and New Year's outside the UK, the place where my boyfriend Will joined the circus (quite literally) and the place where I enjoyed some of the most delicious food I've ever eaten.

As you've clicked on this post I'm gonna guess that you're a fellow foodie who's heading to Pai (I'm actually here whilst I'm writing this and I'm still jealous of you!) and it's a pleasure to introduce you to these spots. As someone who eats 95% plant-based these are mainly vegetarian and vegan recommendations, however Will eats meat and fish and he loved the following restaurants just as much as I did. Read, visit, eat and enjoy!

Breakfast

Om Garden Café
You could have twenty people in your party and each of them would find something to suit their appetite at Om Garden! They offer 'main meals' such as chickpea curry or pesto penne (both of which I've had and loved), lunch options like soups, salads and sandwiches and an all-day breakfast menu with plenty of avocado toast, savoury crepes and porridges. I'm a big fan of their tempura cauliflower burger (ask for the wasabi mayo on the side, it may make your eyes water!) and really like the green 'tropical garden' decor. They also do a proper cup of tea - we're talking actual Yorkshire Tea teabags, people. I hadn't had a cuppa in about three months and it was a slice of home (and heaven, as if you know me you'll know how much I love my cups of tea!)

Big's Little Café
A popular spot with Brits, probably for the sole fact that they serve hash brows and baked beans! When they say 'little' they aren't kidding, this is a tiny hut where you pull up a stool to the bar and watch the cooks at work. This is your best bet if you're after a classic fry-up - get the big hash brown with all the trimmings and thank me later! They also serve jacket potatoes, baguettes, burgers and more brunch-like options such as Spanish omelettes.

Fat Cat
Organic home-cooked food for a reasonable price, and cats! Their cats are extremely adorable and very friendly - even if the food wasn't great I'd go here to get my cute kitty-fix. They do great herbal teas and coffees (with lots of non-dairy milk options) for about £1, and we always go for the 'on toast' option of scrambled egg or avocado with seeds which is roughly £2.20. Their sandwiches are generously filled and come with salad and chips, and they have a fridge full of vegan desserts like raw cheesecakes.

Lunch

Na's Kitchen
Probably our most-visited restaurant in Pai, you must come here for a traditional Thai curry! They do all of the classics (green, red, panang, massaman etc) with rice included, so you can get a really decent and delicious feed for around £1.50. Check the back of the menu for their "one dish" options, these are even cheaper and just as tasty! Their spring rolls were also the best we had in Pai - some restaurants give you three tiny ones chopped in half, but theirs is a generous portion. Na is an angel and her warm smile always brightened our day!

Pen's Kitchen
Another cheap and cheerful one that never disappoints, Pen's became our go-to lunch spot as the meals were inexpensive, filling and always full of flavour. The portion sizes are healthy and their panang is to die for - we took two new friends from Colorado here and they agreed! I fell in love with Thai curry soup (with a side of plain rice stirred in) whilst in Pai, and Pen's Thai red or green curry soups with tofu were my favourite.

Charlie & Lek
Continuing with the theme of family-run restaurants that offer amazing Thai food with tiny price tags, we headed here for quick lunches and group meals alike. I didn't like tofu before I came here, which is saying something, as theirs isn't 'mushy' and I especially enjoyed it in their red curry and their vegetarian khao soi. If you haven't tried khao soi before, it's a coconut curry noodle soup from Northern Thailand and it's divine. Other Charlie & Lek recommendations include the papaya salad and the vegetable tempura - and if you're missing red wine, they give you a generous glass (rare in Thailand!) for 100 baht.

Dinner

Le Rêve de Pai
Hands down one of the best meals I've had in my life. I'm sure that's enough to convince you to enjoy a meal here, but I have more to say so let me proceed... the menu is small and therefore extremely well executed, and from the moment we walked in and ordered two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon we were in love. Good Italian food is extremely uncommon in Pai but this is the real deal: the bruschetta is lovely, the pumpkin soup is wonderfully warming and their cheeseboard is such a pleasure after months without 'proper' cheese. Will had the salmon pasta and I had the mushroom pasta, and I'll forgive you for thinking mine sounds plain as it was anything but! They use dehydrated stalks of shitake mushrooms and I can't even explain how meat-like the texture was - it's the closest thing I've had to steak in years. Combined with silky spaghetti, beautiful red chillies and practically whole garlic cloves, it was genuinely my perfect pasta dish and every mouthful was sheer heaven. Our bill came to around £25-£30 with red wine and G&Ts included and was the perfect 'let's treat ourselves' romantic date night spot. We'll be going back for that mushroom pasta!

Update: we did indeed go back, as we decided to treat ourselves to another meal here on our last night in Pai, but we had a horrible experience. During my meal I bit onto something hard, pulled a sizeable piece of sharp broken piece of glass out of my mouth and when we told the owner, she couldn't have made it clearer that she thought we'd made it up (presumably to get a free meal?) and I was so mortified that I genuinely could've cried! It was a painfully awkward situation, she offered no apology and we left feeling incredibly uncomfortable - so whilst the food is lovely, the rude treatment was pretty inexcusable.

Maya Burger Queen
If you're British and missing 'proper' chips then you won't be disappointed with a portion of Burger Queen's fries. Chunky-cut and fluffy, you'll find yourself ordering another portion (with their homemade garlic mayo) before you've even finished the first one. Will thought their mushroom burger tasted like pulled pork, and their vegan sweet potato and pumpkin patty with avocado is so satisfying - the perfect hangover cure!

Cafecito
If you're finding yourself craving something different then why not give Mexican a whirl? I had a pretty average burrito at One Fine Day but an outstanding one at Cafecito! They do various Mexican classics like quesadillas, tacos, tostadas and tortas with your choice of homemade chorizo, pulled chicken, avocado or mushroom carnitas and you can add toppings such as black beans, pickled jalapeños, rice or avocado. I actually almost sent my meal back as I thought they'd given me pulled pork instead of mushroom carnitas but nope, they're just genuinely that meaty and tasty! The heuvos rancheros from the all-day breakfast menu was a real treat for Will, and the tostadas were my personal favourite. Ask for the off-menu spicy margaritas if you're in fiesta-mode!

Honourable mentions go to Nong Beer which is great for groups, Earth Tone for all the vegan food and desserts you could want, Air Restaurant for the cheapest Thai lunch in Pai and of course, Walking Street.

Walking Street (officially Chai Songkhram Road) is basically a night market selling souvenirs, clothing and all the food you could possibly want! Head here for an inexpensive meal on the go - there's falafel wraps, Mexican burritos and nachos, sushi, pancakes, gyozas and much more, all made right in front of you. Our favourite was Thai Food Bar - it's a converted vehicle where you'll find the nicest guy who cooks fresh meals to order that you eat from the bar on the side of his van. I loved his veggie mushroom green curry - just don't say yes when he asks if you want it "Thai spicy", I'm really good with spice and struggled!

If you'd like to see these meals in action, check out the weekly food diary in Pai video I made. Hope you enjoy these recommendations as much as we enjoyed discovering them!

The Beauty Products I Wish I'd Brought Travelling

 Considering how thorough, how methodical and how diligent my packing process was when it came to deciding which beauty products I'd be relying on for a trip lasting the best part of a year, it's kind of crazy how many changes I'd make if I could go back in time. I guess I never could've known what I'd miss or what I'd need until I actually experienced backpacking... and in the words of Michael Scott, I should've had hindsight.

Just for the fun of it, and in the hope that this will aid any other fellow beauty and makeup lover who are embarking on a long ass trip of their own, here are the products that are currently sat at home in the UK, unused and unappreciated, whilst I'm sat in Asia missing them deeply. Mama loves you, kids.

BECCA x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette
This actually made my final cut but I took it out at the last minute - so close, yet so far - as it was so big that it wouldn't fit in my makeup bag. I'm mainly missing it for the colours: it has a bronze with the perfect non-orange tone, a pinky-coral blush, a peachy highlighter and my pick of the bunch, the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in 'Rose Gold' which is my favourite thing makeup-wise when I'm in a hot country. I'm also missing it for the huge mirror, as doing your mascara in a teeny Benefit Hoola mirror gets old fast! I sooo wish I'd just stuck it in my bigger toiletries bag.

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette
Perhaps even more useful than the BECCA x Chrissy Teigen palette would've been this neat wee number from The Tilbs, as it has the same big sturdy mirror that stands up by itself and pretty much everything you need to create a day or night look. All you'd need aside from it - if you're a makeup lover like me, of course - I'm sure most people don't think about it that deeply! - would be concealer, mascara and lippy. So compact and convenient, and worth the price tag also as you're guaranteed to use every product down to the pan.

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24-Hour Gel-Cream Eyeshadow
Specifically in the shade 'On & On Bronze' - 'Bad To The Bronze' in the States - which has been one of my go-to eyeshadows for years as it's such a failsafe product! Simply swipe onto your lid with your index finger then get to work with a window-wiper motion using something like the Real Techniques Oval Shadow Brush and hey presto, the perfect bronze eye that lives up to its 24-hour claims! Instead I brought MAC Tempting, and find that the lasting power just isn't there nor is it as easy to apply.

Braun Silk-Epil Epilator
A tool rather than a product but something I'm missing all the same is my epilator, as trying to stay on top of hair removal whilst travelling has been a shock to the system and I'm tempted to take inspiration from the hippies I'm surrounded by and just let it grow! I didn't bring my epilator as it felt like a lot of faff what with the charging cord and extra weight, but constantly buying razors isn't great for my purse or the environment - plus the underarm stubble reappears way more quickly.

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream
This is a weird one as I've never actually tried this product before, but after a few months of backpacking (and reading a ton of blog reviews) later, I've come to the conclusion that it'd be the perfect base product - something that sits in the middle between coverage and SPF, that isn't a foundation or a tinted sunscreen. I'm finding my Bioderma too dark and often don't want to wear anything full-coverage now that my freckles are coming out.

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base
I know what you're thinking: but Meg, isn't that super bulky and would therefore be a bit annoying to travel the world with? Maybe, yes - but so many beauty bloggers having rediscovered it recently and I've therefore been reminded of how great it is. It's such an amazing holiday product that you don't even need any coverage with as it makes you look so beachy and bronzed, and in the most natural way ever too. It's pricey but would've lasted me the entire trip (and beyond!)

Glossier Generation G Lipstick
I packed one bold lip shade, the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in 'The Queen' which is a stunning cherry red, but am yet to wear it as it as the formulation (despite being lovely!) seems too heavy for hot, sweaty weather. I also think I'd feel too 'done up' wearing it whilst in Asia, and wish I'd brought a lighter option like one of the Glossier Generation G's. They've recently switched up the formula and made the packaging more sturdy, so 'Zip' and 'Jam' definitely would've been in my makeup bag had they made those changes in time.

Shu Eumera Eyelash Curler
If I could have one beauty related thing magically transported to me right now, it'd 100% be an eyelash curler and I'll be making a purchase as soon as I see one. I never use mine at home, but practically every day I wish that I could open my eyes up and look more awake without having to apply mascara. Even more so, I wish that I'd gotten a lash tint and perm - I've heard amazing things about Nouveau Lashes and am truly kicking myself for not booking an appointment in before I left the UK!

NARS Monoï Body Glow
Such an extra one, however something I've been craving is a golden glow. Despite having been away for weeks, I'm not one for sunbathing and nearly always wear long sleeves and trousers so I'm just as pale as I was when we hopped on the plane at Heathrow. A product that gives sheen and shimmer like this one from NARS would be so welcome, just for a little shoulder and decollatage action! Glass bottles aren't great for travelling, but you could decant it into a plastic spray bottle like this - or save the money and make your own by mixing baby oil with a budget smashed-up powder highlighter.

Are there any products you couldn't live without if you were going travelling?

A Week In My Travelling Bank Account: Thailand Edition

Round up, round up: it's 'new blog series' o'clock, and this one's all about money and travelling. Countless people have sent me polite and tentative "don't answer this if you don't want to, but how much did you save for travelling?" DMs on Instagram, so I thought I'd take the awkwardness out of it for you and start sharing how much I'm spending.

Whatever your backpacking budget, I hope this helps anyone who's in the same boat that I was, e.g. 'I'm leaving home soon and have no clue how much things will actually cost in various parts of the world'. We're kicking things off in the very affordable town of Pai in Northern Thailand!

$1 = 31.45 Thai baht (฿)

£1 = 40.73 Thai baht (฿)

Monday = 1,000฿

Food: 
Brunch at Fat Cat (90 - avocado toast & salad, 50 - iced coconut latte). Dinner on Walking Street (100 - falafel & salad pitta at Queen Falafel, 50 - ginger tea & reusable bamboo cup)

Socialising:
140 - 2x rum & coke

Transport: 
150 - daily scooter hire
40 - litre of petrol

Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)

Miscellaneous:
150 - 2x homemade soap from Re-Wild
100 - 1x supplements from Earth Tone

Tuesday = 610฿

Food:

Brunch at One Fine Day (140 - avocado salad, 60 - iced coconut latte). Dinner at Pen's Kitchen (50 - veg & tofu noodle soup, 60 - beer)

Transport: 
150 - daily scooter hire

Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)

Wednesday = 850฿

Food:

Brunch at Cafecito (170 - burrito, 40 - mint tea). Dinner at Maya Burger Queen (100 - vegan burger, 60 - large fries, 60 - beer)

Socialising:
120 - G&T at Sundown Playground

Transport: 
150 - daily scooter hire

Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)

Thursday = 1,450฿

Food:

Brunch at Art In Chai (120 - avocado salad, 60 - chai latte). Dinner at Na's Kitchen (100 - red curry, 60 - tom yum soup, 80 - beer).

Socialising:

400 - wine at fire show
130 - 'I'm drunk and hungry' veggie avocado burger

Transport: 
150 - daily scooter hire

Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)

Miscellaneous:
200 - reusable water bottle

Friday = 450฿

Food:
Lunch at Paradise (free - kindly cooked by our friends!). Dinner at Food Truck (70 - veggie green curry, 60 - beer). Snacks on Walking Street (20 - pancakes)

Transport: 
150 - daily scooter hire

Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)

Saturday = 955฿

Food:

Lunch at Pen's Kitchen (70 - veggie stir fry, 30 - honey & lime iced tea). Dinner at Kome Maun (75 - rice noodle soup, 30 - ginger tea)

Socialising:
100 - wine

Transport: 
150 - daily scooter hire

Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)

Miscellaneous:

350 - gel pedicure

Sunday = 1,180฿

Food: 

Breakfast at market (100 - baguette, fruit and avocados). Lunch at Paradise (80 - fried rice, 40 - iced coconut latte). Dinner at Bebe Spice (320 - curry, 340 - rum & cokes)

Transport: 
150 - daily scooter hire

Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)

Monday = 2,370฿

Food:

Fruit from market (20 - pineapple, 40 - bananas, 10 - passionfruit). Breakfast at Cafecito (740 - 4x Mexican dishes, also paid for friends). Dinner at Le Reve De Pai (180 - mushroom pasta, 60 - gin & tonic)

Transport: 
150 - daily scooter hire
40 - litre of petrol
200 - bus from Pai to Chiang Mai
800 - sleeper train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok

Accommodation:
450 - private bungalow at Paradise (between 2 people)

Seven days of spending, done! This reflects an average week in Thailand for me. Some days I'm clearly feeling more frivolous than others, socialising tends to mean more pennies leave my purse and paying for a bus or train to another part of Thailand can be pricey, but on average I spent between £25 and £30 in total per day.

In Pai I paid around £5 a night for a lovely bungalow, ate mostly local food like curries for £2.50 a portion and shared the cost of transport with my boyfriend. As a result, I haven't set myself a daily limit for Asia as pretty much everything is low-cost - Australia will be a very different story! - and I'm earning along the way through blogging, however if you're on a shoestring budget there are plenty of ways to save.

Let me know if you'd like a post sharing money-saving tips whilst travelling (I quite like the idea of setting myself spending challenges) and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this new series also? I thought it'd be a helpful idea for anyone embarking on a backpacking journey or a cost-effective holiday of their own - if you have any suggestions on what I should add or where I can improve, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks, pals!

Photos by Will Burchill Photography

An Ode To Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser

 Oh Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, how I adore thee.

It's one of those products that I tell everyone about (seriously, even the postman has barely escaped my recommendation on this one) and I thought I'd let you know why... you know, just on the off-chance you weren't already convinced by the hoards of bloggers you follow and your equally obsessed pals who are die-hard fans of this beautiful, angelic product.

Glossier describe it as "the ultimate daily face wash" and I agree - I agree with my whole entire heart and soul, I tell you! I'm just so fond of it, to the point where it genuinely makes me looking forward to washing my face. I'll be in bed brushing sleep from my eyes seconds after hitting the snooze button and, when that winter chill hits my feet before they've even touched the floor and I get that 'ugh, mornings' feeling, Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser pings into my mind and suddenly getting out of bed isn't so bad.

The name hits the formulation nail on the head to be honest, as it's a gel that also manages to feel milky at the same time - it's lightweight and creamy whilst being translucent and seriously comforting. As soon as that stuff touches my skin I have to fight back an audible sigh of relief, as it's refreshing and relaxing all at once which leads me to think that it may actually be magical. Okay, maybe not actually magical, but it really is the stuff of dreams.

I use it as a straight-up face wash rather than a makeup remover, preferring to use an oil or balm to 'take my face off' - that's such a strange turn of phrase - first, then follow up with Milky Jelly as a second cleanse. It does remove makeup really well, but I already go through the stuff at an astronomically fast rate and using it for both steps would mean that Emily Weiss has more of my money than I do. You're instructed to apply to damp skin although I usually go straight onto dry as it feels the most satisfying, then I massage for a minute or so - thinking about how much I love it - then rinse off with clean water and pat dry.

The first time I ever used Milky Jelly Cleanser, I'd read hardly anything about it and as a result my untainted, uninfluenced brain/nose immediately thought of the dentist. I don't want to put anyone with dentophobia off as the scent is actually rose, but to me... yeah, it kinda smells like the dentist! Now that my brain/nose knows that it's rose I get that it has a lovely delicate and fresh rosewater scent to it but I think I'll always think it smells like going to the dentist, and I absolutely love it. Is that weird?

Not only can you adorn the packaging with the fab pack of stickers you get in every order - mine is business on the front (tiny pink loveheart) and party on the back (piano keys, red lipstick, googly eyes, peace sign) - but it's travel-friendly plastic and has a pump, so basically it's perfect. Props given, Glossier!

The results speak for themselves: my skin is clear, bright and happy 99% of the time. It feels comforted, soft, nourished, smooth and impeccably clean. I actually couldn't dream up a better cleanser and it's absolutely something that I deem holy grail worthy. The pH balanced formula contains the same cleansing agent found in contact lens solution, which kicks impurities and dirt to the curb whilst still being incredibly gentle. It rinses off wonderfully without that uncomfortable 'tight' feeling, and my skin never cries out for moisturiser like it can sometimes do following cleansing.

For how much joy it brings me I think £15 is perfectly reasonable (Glossier actually have a clever subscription service so you don't have to worry about remembering to repurchase), which is necessary for me as I truly do get the running-low-on-Milky-Jelly fear.

Perhaps one of the key indicators that I'm utterly obsessed with this product and would probably marry it if it was a person is that one of the main things at the forefront of my mind when it came to packing for travelling wasn't visas or vaccinations: it was how many Glossier Milky Jelly Cleansers I'd need to take. I need help. Get 10% off on it here!

The Monthly One #1

When I first started this blog (in 2014, whilst on medical leave from my university degree) I had a little series called The Fortnightly One. It was an update on anything I'd enjoyed over the previous two weeks in classic 'Meg Says [insert verb here]' format - there was Apply (products), Watch (films, tv series, YouTube videos), Eat (food), Read (books, blogs, magazines), Wear (style), Listen (music, podcasts) and Inspire (quotes).

I thought I'd add Travel to that list (seeing as I'm currently backpacking the world) and bring back The Fortnightly One! Kind of, as it's gonna be monthly instead. For a throwback, see what I was loving aged 20 here, and for right now, let's do this thing!

Travel
I'll always remember Pai as a bubble as that's honestly what it felt like - a rose-tinted hippie bubble in which fire-spinners spun and souls healed. It's the kind of place I can imagine being hit or miss for some, but our month there was free of pretentiousness!

Another 'hit or miss'-er that we've been lucky enough to catch at a really beautiful time is where we're currently residing, Gili Trawangan. Known as a party island popular with teenage backpackers, we unknowingly arrived in wet season which means less drunk Brits in Magaluf vests, more meaningful conversations. Score!

Apply
Asian tiger mosquitoes are the bane of my 2019 so far and despite having our own net, applying plastic-melting repellent and wearing long cotton trousers, I'm being eaten alive and seem to have awful reactions to the bites. Cue me lying in bed (with the fan on full-blast, obviously) and whacking Tropic Tamanu Healing Balm on every single one of the 197 sore, painful little blighters on my body. This lime-green wonder balm accelerates skin healing, helps with the itching and restores a little bit of my sanity.

Watch
Netflix had a real moment in January, didn't it? I had to mute the words 'Bird Box' from my Twitter timeline, and don't even get me started on how hard I fought to avoid Bandersnatch spoilers. I hate to say it but whilst both were interesting, the word 'overhyped' springs to mind (sorry Bullock, apologies Brooker) and I wasn't bowled over by either. Bird Box felt drawn out and I gave up with Bandersnatch in the end - or maybe I actually did reach 'the end', who bloody knows?

'Dan Humphrey being a creep' (something we thought got left behind in 2012 when the finale of Gossip Girl premiered) made a comeback with the arrival of You on Netflix, a psychological thriller that gave me an 'it's kind of crap but I'm enjoying it so much that I can ignore the cheesy dialogue and plot-holes' feeling. Worth a watch!

Potentially unpopular opinion incoming: Netflix's version of A Series of Unfortunate Events is better than the movie, and Neil Patrick Harris is a better Count Olaf than Jim Carrey. THERE, I said it! The script is intelligent, the attention to detail when it comes to sets, costumes and storylines is impeccable and I actually 'awww!' out loud at every Sunny scene.

Eat
You know when you try a dish and you just know you'll spend the rest of your life trying to recreate it even though it won't be half as delicious? Khao soi, Dash restaurant, Chiang Mai. My lovely hairdresser Christie recommended Dash to us and my gorgeous friend Callie recommend khao soi, and the two came together in the most perfect way when I spied the coconut curry noodle dish from Northern Thailand on the menu. It's my ideal meal!

I'm sure the 'Eat' section of these posts won't be half as long when I'm back in the UK and cooking for myself again, and I've been truly making the most of eating out in restaurants and cafés for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One dish I got obsessed with was red or green curry soup, then I'd order a plain rice and tip it in. The result? Hot, spicy and fragrant homemade soup with tofu and tons of al dente veggies. Miss you already, Thai food - so much so that tears are about to start splashing on my keyboard.

Read
Whilst in Chiang Mai we stumbled across The Lost Book Shop, a wonderful little store crammed full of used books which is run by an amazing Irishman with glasses on the end of his nose and enviable book knowledge. Having adored The Lovely Bones, I picked up The Almost Moon by the same author, a story about the twenty-four hours that follow a woman murdering her own mother. I expected a powerful, clever thriller and am sad to say that if it wasn't for Sebold's masterful writing and the fact that I had no other book with me on the plane, I wouldn't have bothered reading past the third chapter.

It was mind-numbingly slow, the characters were of little interest and my 'keep going, it might get better!' attitude that the plane journey induced was fruitless. The narrative was haphazard and messy, nothing ever seemed to come to a satisfying conclusion and some parts were just plain weird. I know I'm meant to be talking about things I've actually liked, but I didn't buy a Kindle for this trip (mistake of the century) and so a negative review it is.

Wear
After receiving a bag of clothes back from the laundrette (one of the best feelings you'll have whilst travelling!) and realising that a few items had gone missing, namely a white tee that I wore with everything, I headed to the closest market which just so happened to be Khao San Road in Bangkok. I bought a white ribbed cami top for a couple of quid and have since worn it to death - it's now a funny shade of cream and I have the outline of it on my chest and shoulders.

My go-to January outfit was that cami, these amazing rainbow flared Miss Selfridge trousers in the day or this flattering ASOS polka dot midi skirt in the evening and a pair of trusty Havaianas. Easy, comfortable and cute (despite the rum and coke on the top and the white lines underneath it).

Listen
A Star Is Born, on repeat, every day, all night. I saw it twice in the cinema, desperately tried to track down a screening in the Philippines and saying that I'm obsessed is a true understatement. Look What I've Found gets me up in the morning, Diggin' My Grave has me stomping my feet and Will has politely asked me to go ten minutes without belting out "I'm off the deep end, watch as I dive in!" Each listen of the soundtrack reveals something else to me about the story and I get so excited when I can match a lyric with a specific moment in the film - I feel such a connection with it and simply think it's a masterpiece. Current favourite: Hair Body Face. Yes, Gaga, just YES.

Inspire
A couple of days after January 1st, I had a really nice conversation with someone from Colorado about how the start of a new year makes us feel. She explained that she's always placed huge importance on becoming 'better' in countless ways, practically as soon as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, and I said that I've done the same. We agreed that placing that huge importance with such urgency creates huge pressure, as whilst self-improvement is important and necessary, becoming 'the best version of yourself' immediately and without work is impossible.

In the past I've said things like "this year I want to be more organised", not actually doing anything constructive to become more so, then feeling like a failure when I'm, surprise surprise, unorganised. In 2019 I'll be adopting a 'small and often' approach, and feel so thankful to that girl for reminding me that we shouldn't wait for the start of a new week, month or year to do something: life is now!

The Ultimate Philippines Vegetarian/Vegan Guide: Best Restaurants, What To Order etc

Eating as a vegetarian in the Philippines was quite the adventure. Upon asking whether they offered vegetarian options before entering a restaurant I'd often be told "yes, of course!" only to find none in the menu, which then elicited responses such as "you eat chicken - no pork or beef!" or "it's fish, it's vegetarian" or, my personal favourite, a fit of laughter!

Filipino cuisine focuses very heavily on meat and fish, and having spent six weeks there and sometimes ending up with no choice but to eat plain rice for dinner, I'm here to help you navigate the vegetarian/vegan waters and eat the tastiest food possible. Let's dive in!

Order

using these phrases

Vegetarian = walang karne

Vegan = vegan

Thank you = salamat

Choose

from these Filipino vegetarian/vegan dishes

Kangkong: water spinach, which is like tenderstem broccoli and spinach in one (aka flipping delicious). It's in most Filipino menus under 'vegetables' or 'sides', and is often cooked in a thin oyster sauce with lots of garlic and red onion

Adobong kangkong: you'll see 'adobo' in menus non-stop in the Philippines as it's their unofficial national dish. Instead of chicken, pork, beef or fish marinated in the famous soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and peppercorn sauce, you can ask for 'abobong kangkong' which is the vegan water spinach version

Adobong talong: again, this is the traditional adobo dish but made with eggplant/aubergine

Tortang talong: one of my absolute favourites, this is the only traditional Filipino vegetarian classic I came across - at a roadside barbecue, no less! They take a grilled eggplant or aubergine then peel and mash it, soak in beaten egg, season with salt and pepper then fry until golden brown. It is divine, and something you absolutely cannot miss if you eat eggs!

Pinkabet: traditionally pinakbet is a vegetable dish made with pork and shrimp paste, however I was offered vegetarian/vegan versions throughout our trip. It's not the most exciting dish in the world (sort of like pan-cooked vegetables with a bit of a garlicky sauce) but there are always condiments on tables in Filipino restaurants so you can jazz it up with chilli and soy sauce etc

Lumpia: spring rolls, wahey! Served deep fried or fresh, these are the exactly how you're probably picturing them to be - just double check that they're actually veggie!

Pancit: noodles, wahey again! You'll hear 'pancit bihon' and 'pancit canton' - they're both the same fried noodle dish but bihon has thin glass noodles, and canton has thicker egg noodles

Bam-i: fun to say, fun to eat and fun for your wallet as it's usually extremely cheap, bam-i is like a mixture of pancit bihon and pancit canton. It's made with the two different types of noodles mixed together along with soy sauce and vegetables, and you might also hear or see it referred to as 'pancit bisaya'

Banana blossom burger: basically the Filipino version of the veggie burger, banana blossom patties are popular and taste like a regular one except sweeter - think sweet potato mixed with black bean! You might also hear banana blossom referred to as 'banana heart' or 'puso ng saging'. They usually come in your usual setup with fries on the side, lettuce, tomato etc

Okra: you probably already know this one, but if you don't, okra is a green vegetable in the mallow family (the taste is similar to green beans, the texture is more like soft cucumber and it has these funny white spherical seeds) and I just wanted to mention it here as it was in pretty much every vegetarian or vegan meal I had in the Philippines! 

Kalabasa: squash, basically - one of the pretty green/orange ones

Calamansi: a citrus fruit native to the Philippines that looks and pretty much tastes like a very tiny lime... they're extremely cute and you'll get at least one on anything you order, whether that's chopsuey or a rum and coke!

Ampalaya: also known as 'bitter gourd' or 'bitter melon', this stuff's pretty gross and basically tastes like dodgy sea cucumber. As the alternative names would suggest it's extremely bitter, to the point where you pull a face whilst eating it, and if I was going to advise you to avoid one thing in the Philippines it'd be ampalaya! Unfortunately it's in a lot of vegetarian/vegan dishes so I'd suggest asking beforehand or picking it out. Hint: it looks like dark celery, and was created by the devil

Watch

out for these things

If you're staying in a more remote area there may be a couple of occasions where there isn't anything you can eat on the menu, especially if you're vegan. Whenever it happened (usually in tiny villages with barely any tourists), I simply ordered garlic rice: everywhere does this and it's way more exciting than plain boiled!

Chop suey is often on Filipino menus, it's slightly different to American/European versions in that it normally comes as a stir-fried noodle and vegetables dish, just make sure you use a vegan translation app like Veganagogo to ensure that's definitely no meat in there.

Shrimp paste is used in many recipes, as is fish sauce, and many people I met along the way thought that vegetarians could still eat fish and chicken, and some soups and curries may be cooked using carcasses or meat juices. On many occasions I asked for a vegetarian option and would be pointed towards something like 'pork in soy sauce with vegetables', so it's handy to know how to say "I don't eat meat or fish" (Hindi ako kumakain ng karne o isda - use Veganagogo or keep this on your Notes on your phone).

Visit

my following top picks

EL NIDO:

Happiness Beach Bar: A lively, colourful veggie joint with swings at the bar, head to Happiness for great Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine: think hearty wooden bowls filled with hummus and dips, falafel pittas and shakshuka. They do a generous tabbouleh salad, and these amazing 'fries' that are like a Ready Salted crisp had a baby with a chip!

Big Bad Thai Bistro: Ask for a seat upstairs - you eat overlooking the beach that way! - and order the som tum (spicy green papaya salad), the vegetable and tofu green curry or the classic Pad Thai. The sweetcorn salad is one to give a miss, as the corn was quite dry and bitter rather than succulent and sweet. Their cocktail menu is something special, so spoil yourself with their silver tequila, mango purée and chilli concoction dubbed 'The Thairita'.

Taste El Nido: With a small vegan menu, Taste (or The Vegan Café) is well worth a visit. Choose from eggplant lasagna (made with cashew cream béchamel, so delicious!), Mexican chipotle bowl or mac 'n' cheese for your main, enjoy a variety of smoothie bowls and vegan coffees for breakfast, and try their sweet vegan snacks - we'd recommend the chocolate chip cookies.

V and V Bagel: Lunch doesn't get much quicker or easier than a filled bagel, and this spot does a vegetarian one (eggplant, bell peppers, pesto, lettuce and Parmesan - forgo the cheese to make it vegan) for £3.50. Their wifi is top notch and whilst their regular coffee is good, upgrade to the Illy blend for a real treat. They also do a veggie burger as well as pizza, pasta and desserts.

SIQUIJOR:

Coco Grove: Vegetarians often get ignored at barbecues but not at Coco Grove, where they have a barbecue and entertainment evening every Tuesday at their beachfront Sunset restaurant. They do these vegetable kebabs that are smothered in an amazing spicy satay sauce before they're grilled and served up with rice, salad and salsa.

Baha Ba'r: Aside from ordering a strong af and patriotic cocktail (quite literally, every time you buy a Baha Ba'r special you get to add a tally to your country on their chart) you should also order the Pandasal Express which is a banana blossom burger with sweet potato fries. Double check your order as some items on the menu are marked as vegetarian, but include shrimp or fish.

The Bee Farm: The organic garden salad here is adorned with pretty edible flowers and comes with the most divine mustard dressing that really takes lettuce from drab to fab! Ask for a different one if you're vegan rather than vegetarian as it's heavy on the honey, and try the vegetable stir-fry with garlic rice for main.

SIARGAO:

Bamboo Garden Bar: I have a full review of our stay at Bamboo here, and would highly recommend checking out the food there even if you're not a resident. The vegetarian pizza, panini and sandwich are all great (ask for no cheese to make them vegan) and I was a huge fan of their hearty and filling vegetable curry.

Miguel's Taqueria Y Cerveceria: This place is #3 in General Luna on Trip Advisor and never anything else than heaving. With a tiny menu of either a classic foil-wrapped burrito or two soft filled tacos, you'll order within seconds and get your food within minutes. Both have a 'vegetable' option which will only set you back about £2 and can be made vegan if you ask for no cheese or creamy sauce, and there are two vegan sauce options on every table: salsa verde and pico de gallo.

Kermit: The restaurant within this surf resort does a delicious vegetarian panini that's vegan without the cheese for 160 pisos (about £2.50, and comes with chips or wedges too!) as well as a wide range of Italian options. They have a huge wood-fired oven making fresh pizzas, calzones and focaccia, and if you're a pasta lover you'll be spoilt for choice: the spaghetti options are vegan (pomodoro, aglio e olio, pesto) and there's a creamy gorgonzola gnocchi and a porcini mushroom risotto if you eat dairy.

Altrove: Sticking with the Italian theme, head here and choose from three different pastas (spaghetti, penne or fettuccini) then order the Pomodori Secchi - crushed tomatoes with chopped sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. I added chilli to my order, and asked for no Parmesan cheese to make it vegan. 

Bravo: Our favourite 'date night' spot thanks to the beachfront location, beautiful lighting and live music. Their menu has a brilliant tapas section, most of which is vegetarian, and the staff are incredibly friendly and informed about making dishes vegan - so get your patatas bravas and baba ganoush on! Their mongo bean, eggplant and mushroom veggie burger is divine (if you like onion bhajis then you'll love this) and every Sunday they have a paella night, one of which is 100% vegan!

PORT BARTON:

Deep Moon: A* veggie dining! In the relaxed, open-air restaurant you'll find no end of options from vegan pancakes, sandwiches, paninis, pizzas, local dishes and more. Even if a dish is marked as 'vegetarian' it's likely to be vegan, as the kitchen uses fresh soy milk instead of cow's milk or egg. One of those places where you open the menu and feel spoilt for choice!

Mabuti: Not only does this cute little spot have the speediest wifi (quite rare in Port Barton!), they only sell vegetarian and vegan food as seen in their full menu here. At only £2.40 for a breakfast dish AND a coffee, you can't go wrong. The soups, salads and pastas all received rave reviews and, like everything else, the veggie burger is made from locally sourced ingredients. Mabuti make their own bamboo straws and donate the profits to rehabilitating reefs, and on the whole have a large focus on protecting the environment.

Gorgonzola: A trendy spot that wouldn't look out of place in Seven Dials in Covent Garden, you're gonna struggle to choose just one dish from this menu. It's pricier than spots serving local food rather than Western, but their pizzas (550 pisos for a margherita base, then you can add toppings like vegetarian bolognese or vegan cheese) are a whopping 60cm and can feed 2-4 people. The salads are proper (aka generous and actually tasty), and here's a handy tip: order their hummus without the focaccia then dip your crusts in it instead. You are welcome!

Ausan: This beachfront resort has a restaurant where you get a truly good bang for your buck, as they offer a three-course set menu for around £3.50 each! The veggie options for main include a chop suey style stir-fry, mushroom pasta and a banana blossom burger with fries to name a few, and I had a fruit platter for dessert. The first time we went the starter was a delicious sweetcorn soup and the second time it was chicken and corn so I couldn't have it, but they deducted this from the bill. Try and get the romantic candlelit 'treehouse' table if you can, and order the onion rings - they're immense!

I hope this helps you navigate your way as a vegetarian or vegan around the Philippines - there's so much delicious food on offer when you know what to look and ask for! 

In Defence Of Wearing Makeup

Ever since I was a little girl - we're talking five years old and examining my mum's eyelash curler wondering what in the world it could be for - I've adored makeup and beauty products in general. Before I even hit my teens I'd pore over the beauty section of magazines, and my favourite thing to read (aside from books, obviously!) was the description on everything from shampoo to hair removal cream. Seriously, I wasn't even applying or using these things - I was simply just fascinated by the colours, textures, packaging, scents.

That fascination for beauty products has stayed with me through to my adult years - hence the large proportion of this blog that's dedicated to talking about them - and when my boyfriend and I decided to backpack the world for the best part of a year, I couldn't have been more excited to decide which items were going to voyage along with me.

Discovering the beauty blogging world when I was 13 let me know that there are other people out there like me, people who collectively love the world of beauty, as there are people who are passionate about food or surfing or art and could talk about it all day. It was never a vanity thing or centred around outward appearances for me, and I think the fact that I would sit and read the back of a body scrub aged seven (despite not actually being allowed to use it) is testament to that.

My point, explained in my usual wordily fashion, is that my passion for beauty products would exist whether the effect was visible or not. My eyeshadow blending is average at best but that'll never stop me from coveting and purchasing 102 palettes (all of which will probably be very similar mixes of nude champagnes and bronzes), as it's not about the way they look, but the way they make me feel. Looking at an outfit and conjuring an immediate mental 'this would be so sexy with a bronze smudgy eye and 90s nude liner' picture is the coolest, and I never feel more powerful than when I'm rocking a red lip.

So far, I've had a couple of comments about the fact that I'm wearing makeup whilst travelling and it got me thinking. Is it not 'the done thing', and why does it matter?

The first was a classic catty-girl tactic. She was rude (but only to me) from the get-go but I didn't take it personally as it was quite apparent that she fancied my boyfriend, and I'd gotten used to the constant sly digs designed to undermine and embarrass. One of which - said in front of everyone, of course - was "wow, it must take you such a long time to apply all that makeup". My makeup at the time: a teeny bit of Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer, hint of Benefit Hoola, brows brushed up with Glossier Boy Brow and a swipe of lip balm. I'd guess that this three-product application took me literally less than two minutes from start to finish, but my face not being completely bare was portrayed as a negative, my beloved Real Techniques Expert Face Brush used as a tool with which to bash me with.

The second was a genuine question from a guy we met (and ended up living with, and will be friends with for life I'm sure) who asked "you know you're travelling, right?" as I sat on our communal sofa applying my Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Luxury Palette. As someone who doesn't even wear shoes, I could completely see how unnecessary and decidedly 'extra' it looked to him. "It makes me happy!" I replied, to which he gave me an understanding nod and said, "you do you". It wasn't him, or my boyfriend, or anyone else that I bought the £45 palette for: it was for me, because I like pretty colours and making my eyelids all sparkly.

Both questions - one a strategic move from an insecure individual and one offhand remark from a perplexed shoeless Danish dude - implied that I shouldn't be wearing makeup. And I'm just here to say, why ever the hell not?

I get it, backpacking inherently implies minimalism as you can literally only own what you can physically carry on your back, and when it's hot you're thinking about reaching for a bottle of water and not a lipliner. But genuinely, what difference does it make whether your lips are lined or not? It impacts neither the experience nor the journey, and spending three minutes - which is nothing, in the grand scheme of a 24-hour day - applying a slick of mascara and a swipe of lipstick if that's what you want to do is your prerogative.

'If that's what you want to do' should be the takeaway from that last paragraph, as makeup is all about freedom and expression without rules or limitations. I'm currently in a travelling environment where makeup is extremely rare - I haven't seen a Velvet Teddy or a winged liner for weeks - and whilst I often forgo it during the day as I just can't be bothered, I really take pleasure in little things like smoothing on some Glossier Lidstar and blending it out. I find it relaxing, enjoyable and kind of like a form of self-care.

I guess the reason why I was compelled to write this blog post is the feeling of being judged: that by wearing makeup - especially whilst travelling, in a sea of hippie pants and dreadlocks - it means that you're hiding, unconfident or materialistic. The way I see it, not wearing any makeup is as much as a choice as wearing a full face of contour and as it's all down to personal preference, there's no right or wrong.

We see makeup-shaming all the time, from snide remarks about people who - shock, horror - wear it at the gym or the pool, to petty "she's wearing way too much makeup" comments on Instagram posts. FYI, the people who write those sorts of things are the same people who internally squeal with glee when a celebrity is 'caught' without a full face in the Daily Mail whilst dropping their kids off at school. It's bred from insecurity, enables them to feel superior and breeds nothing but negative judgement.

Your time is your time and your choices are your choices. If recreating one of the insanely talented Nikkie Tutorials videos means you feel happy and confident and creative, then that's what you should do - and what you shouldn't do is let outside irrelevant opinions stop you from expressing yourself in whatever way makes your soul shine.

I think everyone should strive to adopt a 'different strokes for different folks' attitude like our Danish friend, who didn't understand why I was buffing in foundation and applying blinding highlighter in a tiny village in the middle of the Philippines and thought the whole thing pointless, but accepted it and said "you do you" with a smile anyway.