Where to Stay in Bali, Indonesia

I had the amazing experience in my very first visit to Bali, Indonesia last July 2015. If you are looking for a nice place to stay, I suggest you check out this lovely place in Kuta area called Villa Kuta Regency A-11. The address is Jl. Kubu Anyar (Gang Kingkong), Bali. It is situated in a small road, and even a bit hard to find, but just be patient because the room is squeaky clean and beautifully designed. It is actually a big house where the rooms are rented out, but don't worry because the owner will make you feel so at home and the place is very quiet. Very nice place to rest, relax, and sleep as you  prepare for your Bali Tour the next day.

The bathroom is bigger than I expected for a room good for 2. It also has a very high ceiling.

The sink is not inside the bathroom. This means even if your roommate is in the shower, you can still brush your teeth or do your make up.

There is a huge fridge and TV with cable inside. Wifi is available inside the room. I had good connection for the entire stay, except for one night where I never got to use wifi at all. Not a problem, it was just one night.

Sample breakfast c/o the Villa

Contact details:
email Mr. Abraham who owns the place through: soulfull09@yahoo.com
Or contact via SMS/Whatsapp +6281238225555

Or you can also book through Agoda which was how I found the place. Just type the name Villa Kuta Regency A-11

2015 Review on Lorac Lips with Benefits

Here is my recent stash of Lorac Lips with Benefits Lip Gloss and I can still say that after 2 years, it is still the best lip gloss that I have ever tried!

They colors are still named after different guy names but they do have a different collection now since I cannot find  my favorite color in "Andy".

I did mention in my 2013 review (link: http://kenoshasays.blogspot.hk/2013/03/lorac-lips-with-benefits-lip-gloss.html) that I never noticed anything super special about it. I would like to retract that statement. Not only does this lip gloss line keep my lips uber soft, it also stays on for hours, with or without any lipstick or lip tint combinations. I even noticed that it keeps the lipstick in place if you apply it over lipstick. I also tried using it on top of a lip tint, dotting and spreading the tint just in the middle part of my lower and upper lip to make it look natural and then spreading the Lorac LWB Lip Gloss on top of the tint and all over my lips.... I swear the tint and the gloss were like there for 4 hours. The lip tint stayed on its place in the middle and was not washed off or blended by the lip gloss. The effect I was trying to achieve was there for hours.

Lorac Lips with Benefits in color "Chris"

You might think some of the colors are outrageous but these shades are very tame when applied. They are not as vibrant as lipsticks, they just show a healthy tint and glow with a slightly different color from each version. Some colors like the Josh provide a soft nude look that is  perfect for smokey eye make up.

Another thing, after 2 years of using too many bottles of Andy and TANtalizer colors, I must say these lip gloss tubes never ever smell funny through time. I can attest to that.

There is no reason why anyone should question me when I purchased too many! Try visiting Lorac's website (http://www.loraccosmetics.com/) and ordering them. For some reason, these are usually on sale, but well, doesn't this make us happier??

:)

Review: Martha Tilaar Indonesian Make Up

Here you go guys, I am again into makeups!!! I guess after 2 years of keeping myself from buying too much makeup, the kraken is awakened! Hahahaha... For this post, let me review this Indonesian brand called Martha Tilaar. Loved my visit to Bali by the way: good food, healthy and organic food, nice warm weather - sunny but not hot at all, nice people, and I felt like a millionaire with all the zeroes in their currency :-P

I visited Bali in July 2015 and I just had to purchase and try an Indonesian make up brand. Luckily, I got acquainted with the daughter of the villa I stayed in and she told me about the brand Martha Tilaar.  

Below is a stash of the Martha Tilaar products I bought from the Beach Walk Mall in Kuta. This stash is composed of face powders, eyeshadows, eyebrow liners, and a face mask. The price is amazingly affordable for the colors and collections they have. I did stay away from the professional collection (they have a higher quality makeup intended for make up artists) because I wanted to know what's the quality of the basic ones. This might be good for gifting! The entire stash cost me no more than USD33.00 -- I know right!!!

I personally liked the eyeshadows and the eyebrow liners. There are 2 types of eyeshadows however that I bought. One is in a white case with mirror. The other is in a transparent case.

I like the one in transparent case better. For me it has a better staying power, although both have a creamy consistency when swatched on your skin. When I tried both at the store on the back of my hand, I thought there shouldn't be any difference. I was wondering why the sales lady kept on insisting the other one in transparent case is better, not to mention it has a higher price.

Perfect for the nude or smokey eye look!

I love the combination of earthy colors. Martha Tilaar seems to know the right tones for olive skin. I rarely ever saw any makeup in the store that would be on the cool tones for fair skin, or maybe because I wasn't looking for those myself.

I was not totally wowed by their bestseller face mask. It was actually a nice concept of very fine ash-like consistency of powder that you combine with water to achieve a mud pack. I liked applying it on my face but I did not see any huge effect on my face right after the mud pack was rinsed off. This is something I was surprised because usually mud packs and face masks give me a certain rewarding feeling and clean-soft feel after the rinse. Hmmm...

To me the best product they have is this eyebrow pencil which I bought in both black and brown. The girl who introduced me to this makeup brand actually told me this is the only product she has tried so far in the brand and that she uses it daily, and highly recommends I buy some. My review: It has a good staying power, and hard enough to allow you to pencil in the shape you want for your eyebrows. Just don't make the mistake of trying them on your eyes because this pencil has got some hardness. It is really just for the eyebrows.

The face powder controls oil and gives some little glow. Give me some time to try the other tone, because I started using the darker, more bronzy shade and found out that I should have tried the lighter one. What I did not like however is the smell of the powder. It has a strong scent that reminds me of talcum and old style loose powder. This makes me not want to use it all day for fear that when someone greets me and kisses me on the cheek, that they might get the hint of the smell somewhat. If Martha Tilaar can improve this, it could be a good one.

For more information on Martha Tilaar, visit their website: http://www.marthatilaargroup.com/en/

Where to Stay in Malapascua Cebu

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Malapascua Island in Cebu last 29 April - 02 May 2015. As a backpacker, I naturally researched for a place frequented by other backpackers and I luckily picked the right place: Mike & Diose´s Beachcottage, AABANA Beach-&Watersport Resort Malapascua Island, a very serene, not crowded part of Malapascua Island. If you are looking into having some quiet time, this is a nice place to be - waking up just a few steps on the beach front with many areas for lounging about.

Mike is very hands on and you will definitely be able to get in touch with him before and during your stay. I also had the pleasure of meeting his wife Diose :) Part of the reason why I found this place to be a safe place to stay is because of the fact that the owners are also staying in the cottage while managing the place.

My Room         : Bamboo-Guestroom
Price per night: php    600.00, breakfast included​ 
Total 3 nights  : php 1800.00
​ 
​​​​Checkin is 14:00 h (2 pm)
Checkout is 12:00 (12 pm, noon)

Included in the price is 1 kw electricity per day, each additional kw is php 30. I did not have to pay extra for electricity since all I did was use the fan, some lights, and charge my phone and mobile phone charger. My camera had enough juice so that I never needed to charge it at Aabana. To make my vacation even more relaxing, I kept the lights off at night. It was fine because there were lights outside and it is not too dark.

I had coffee at the beach front

The beachfront view and lounge spot

Here is how the Bamboo room looks like:

It has 2 beds inside, so the room can actually fit 3 people. The place also has airconditioned rooms but they were fully booked and I was fine with a fan room. It even has a safety deposit box inside where you can keep your passport, cash, and other small valuables.

My usual breakfast is omelet of 2 eggs (your choice on how it is done), toast, and coffee. I added corned beef, and they also threw in a slice of fruit for free. 

The staff are all very hospitable and friendly. Should you visit and stay at Mike's place, I am sure you will not be able to resist giving the housekeeping staff extra money as tip.

If you would like to connect with Mike, email and/or send sms with your name so he can track easily: mike.malapascua@gmail.com. He responds quickly but of course you have to indicate your name, date of visit, number of rooms needed, number of people checking in, etc. so you will have a more precise answer. You may also check out their website: http://www.aabana.de/

My shirt designs

Hey guys! I have been working on some shirts lately. Check them out! You may order from kenosha.online@gmail.com