kauai

I’m a little sad about having to leave Kauai this morning, but vacations never last forever…

Who am I kidding? I’m very sad about it. No more falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the beach, no more secret swimming holes and snorkeling spots, no more lush tropical landscapes, jungle hikes, waterfalls or fresh papaya picked from farms down the street!

And what about the kitties!? Poor Tuxie, Tortie Girl and Tabby Mac. Who will feed the kitties!?

Oh…I know someone else will. I hope. It’s time for me to pass the torch/Friskies box to another CCL.

In other news, we kept busy yesterday, trying to squeeze in as much fun as possible on our last day here. We started with a kayak ride up the Wailua River (just one small part of it) and a hike to the Secret Falls, and finished the day at Ke’e Beach, located at the very end of the paved road that runs along the east and north sides of the island. There’s nothing else beyond it except treacherous jungle hikes and steep cliffs along the coast.

It’s going to be tough leaving this beautiful island, but that’s the thing about beauty — it’s everywhere we look. 🙂 This time tomorrow I’ll be back in the Bay, so I’ll see you again soon from California.

But before that, here’s one last look (for now) at lovely Kauai…

This way to the Secret Falls

Diving feet first into the Wailua River…

This way to adventure!
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Greetings, fellow beauty lover. Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend got off to a good start. I just wanted to say a quick hi before I try to burn off some of yesterday’s indulgences (and my, have I indulged). It was a day filled with food, fun and Friskies (more on that later)!

To take care of my beauty business yesterday, I used the mighty MAC 266 brush to fill in my brows with MAC Concrete Eye Shadow.

Shh… Don’t tell anyone, because this probably sounds a little makeup obsessive, but I preloaded it with Concrete and brought it along for the day to touch up after getting out of the water. Ya know, just in case we decided to do something else. 🙂

Next to the 266, we have Hourglass Superficial Mirage Waterproof Bronzer.

I can’t really remember how waterproof it actually was/is…but I used it en lieu of actual powder. I still wanted to wear something with a bit of a matting effect, and I love the little brush that comes with it. It’s wide, with dense bristles, and the shape fits the contours of my face just right.

As a lip/cheek option, I brought Becca Beach Tint in Watermelon, because I like the color, it’s water resistant, and you can use it as a blush and/or lip tint (versatility win!).

MAC Zoom Waterfast Lash took care of my mascara needs. It’s a basic black waterproof mascara, good for lengthening, and it gets the job done (helped along by my beloved Shu Uemura Lash Curler).

The sunshine, humidity, chlorine, salty air and water are all tough on my skin, and so I also brought three MAC Studiofinish Concealers with SPF35 as well. Three because I use the one in NW25 to slightly brighten my under-eye area, the NC42 one on blemishes (it’s my color match) and the darker NC45 one for when I tan. I like these because I can apply and blend them with my fingers and only have to use a dab to even out my skin.

On my lips, I went with the same Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soother Cooling Hydragel SPF20, except I chose shade Sheen 50.

And then to clean up after the beach — a necessity because I look to’ up when I get out of the water — I used Olay’s Wet Cleansing Cloths in Sensitive.

With the car gassed and ready for the day’s adventures, El Hub and I fueled up with breakfast at Tutu’s Soup Hale on the makai side (ocean side) of Kuhio Highway, just past the Wailua River as you drive north from the Lihue airport.

It’s cute, quaint, clean and a great breakfast spot. Lots of parking, friendly staff, a creative menu, all-day breakfast and yummy food? What more could you ask for?

Oh, yeah. They serve more than just soup. 🙂

El Hub had (and finished!) The Kahuna — with scrambled eggs, tomatoes and avocado on multigrain bread; served with a papaya slice on the side, YUM!
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Aloha, and happy Friday. It’s a few minutes after sunrise, and I’m off to get in a quick run before it gets hot. Today we’re thinking about driving up to the North Shore to do some snorkeling. It’s a little early in the year for it up there (winter and early spring are the big wave months), but I’m hoping the water’s nice.

Pool products of the day: Neutrogena Wet Skin Sunblock Spray in SPF30, Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream for Face in SPF 55 PA+++, Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lip Soother Cooling Hydragel SPF20 in Glaze 60

I’ve never tried this particular spray sunscreen before, but I do like sprays. This one? You can spray on wet skin. I haven’t been using it long enough to gauge how well it works, but I like the consistency and the light floral scent (smells just a little bit like sunscreen, but not bad).

Shiseido’s Ultimate Sun Protection Cream for Face is an oldie but a goodie. It’s VERY water resistant, just like it says on the tube, haha! No, really, it is. And it never gives me breakouts. It’s great for dry/oily combo skin like mine.

And the only color product I’ve been wearing so far has been Neutrogena’s super moisturizing Soother Cooling Hydragel SPF20 in Glaze 60. It’s a lightly tinted berry with a light minty flavor that really does feel cooling on my lips.

It’s just a little splash of color for when I pop out of the water.

Cafe Coco on Kauai

“May I show you to your table, miss?”
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