5 Reasons You Should Vacation In Queensland

I am in love with Queensland Australia. Absolutely.

I have been there several times now, and it has become one of my favorite vacation destinations in the world. 

I just spent a week in far northern Queensland at Trinity Beach, which sits slightly north of Cairns. There is so much to do up there, but you can be perfectly satiated just lying around doing approximately nothing.

I can think of 100 reasons that you should vacation in Queensland, but instead I am giving you 5:

The Beaches. 

The beach outside my vacation rental in Trinity Beach, Queensland

They are spectacular. The east coast of Queensland runs along the Coral Sea, which is warm and beautiful. The coastline is comprised of endless golden sand beaches, most of which are unpopulated. The islands off the coast of Queensland, such as the Whitsunday Islands are famous for their pristine, white sand beaches. The water is clean, the swimming is glorious, and the sun always seems to be shining.

The Seafood. 

If you are a seafood lover you just cannot beat Queensland, both for the fish and shellfish that you already know, as well as the rare, sensational, Aussie-only species that you have never heard of before. Queensland is a seafood lover's dream come true.

The Weather.

 Queensland gets two seasons: the wet season and the dry season. Their summer (December thru March) is the monsoon or wet season, and is the best time to visit the rain forests and the barrier reef, the rest of the year is dry. Year round the temperature is lovely and warm. 

The Zoos. 

Bindi Irwin and her mother at Australia Zoo
image credit Russell Shakespeare

Queensland zoos are wonderful, especially if you are traveling with children. Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo feels more like a safe haven for creatures than a prison. From the giant kangaroo range, which is more like a huge park where they can roam freely in amongst the wildlife, to the elephant enclosure the animals don't feel caged. One thing I noticed when I was there (several years ago on a different trip) was that every zoo worker seemed really happy. Like they really enjoyed their jobs and loved their animals. More telling was watching the interaction between the animals and their humans. I was particularly fascinated with the elephants and their handlers, and the playful and joyous way they communicated as they meandered from one area to the next. The elephants looked happy and as though they were having fun. It was magical.

The Great Barrier Reef. 

No amount of National Geographic can prepare you for the majesty of the Great Barrier Reef. At 2,300 kilometers (1400 miles) in length the reef can be seen from outer space.  One of the greatest experiences in my life has been snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. 

5 hours races past like 5 minutes when you are snorkeling on the reef. From the coral structures themselves to the unbelievable marine life swimming amongst them you feel like you are swimming through a visual technicolor explosion. It is almost surreal.  The water is soft, warm and staggeringly clear. My first time snorkeling the reef was on a clear day with a crystal smooth ocean, so visibility was pristine. My second time, which was last week, the sea was rough which made for much harder work physically, but still you could see everything and the colors were so vivid it you could hardly believe they were real.

We used Reef Magic for our day excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. Read my TripAdvisor review here

Queenslanders are super friendly, happy, smiley folk. In that giant land mass there are only 4.6 million of them, so there is plenty of space to breathe in, to swim in, to stretch out a towel on the sand and get bronzed in. You never feel crushed, the beaches like the skies are wide open and vast. 

There are incredible restaurants and the shopping is wonderful, if that's your pleasure.

You can lose yourself in Queensland, or find yourself, whichever you need, but you will return home relaxed, bronzed and happy.

Where to stay in Trinity Beach, Queensland, vacation rental

Where to stay in Palm Cove, Queensland, hotel

Check out flights to Cairns here

Read about Australia in Bill Bryson's hilarious yet super informative book In A Sunburned Country

Flying The Queensland Coastline

Flying up the coast of Queensland is one of life's truly amazing experiences.

Our Air New Zealand flight flew from Auckland to approximately Brisbane, then flew the entire way up the Queensland coast to Cairns, giving us multiple hours of one of the most beautiful views you can possibly imagine.

iPhone view of the Queensland coast from my Air New Zealand flight

Hours and hours of pristine blue water, golden sand beaches and vast emptiness.

Enormous stretches with no one there. No building, no industry, just pure, spectacular nature.

Great Barrier Reef from the plane

The Great Barrier Reef is 1400 miles long. You can see it so clearly from the plane.

Unpolluted, unspoiled.

You can't quite find the horizon as the infinite blueness of the sea merges with the infinite blue sky.

Find flights to Queensland 

How can something this beautiful even exist?

It makes you realize how immense the universe really is and how small you really are.

The images in this post were taken with my iPhone as we flew the coastline.

5 Things I Love About Australia

I love Australia.

Love it.

It is so hard to comprehend just how huge this country is, how varied the landscape is, and how much this amazing country has to offer.

In honor of the fact that I am here in the land down under at the moment, here are 5 things I absolutely love about Australia.

1. The Wide Open Skies.

The Australian sky is beyond belief. It is so endless, so blue, so all encompassing. You feel so incredibly small under the sky in Australia, and when you look up anything and everything you've ever wished for feels achievable, obtainable, within your reach.

image by Joe Mulgrew

2. The Spectacular Coastlines

Australia's coast lines are so incredibly, awe inspiringly beautiful. No matter where you are.

Whitehaven Beach, Queensland Australia

And even more astounding is the fact that all these gorgeous beaches seem empty, even if they are full. 
So much land + so few people = endless space.
With a population of only 24 million and a land mass approximately the same size as America there is an incredible feeling of freedom here.

3. The Way Of Life.

Aussies really know how to live.
They have the best of everything, wide open spaces to live in, modern, international, cosmopolitan cities, sunshine, beaches - everything.
And they have a lifestyle that has no comparison. I always think that Australia is about quality of life. Australians know how to get the maximum out of every day, and then take time out at the end of the day to enjoy fabulous Aussie wine and a movie with a view.

outdoor movies at St George open air theater, Sydney

4. Kangaroos.

They have them.
There are actually more kangaroos than humans in Australia.
And no matter how many times you see them in their giant herds called "mobs" - a mob of kangaroos! you still get totally wowed.
They are amazing!

5. The People.

Aussies tend to have wide open, smiling faces. The are friendly, fun, happy people - basically the exact opposite of anyone who works at Chicago O'Hare airport.
And they have Chris Helmsworth. Did you see Vacation???

5 Must Have Beauty Products To Take To Australia

Today I am blogging from Australia, not in my favorite city in the world, Sydney, but up in beautiful Queensland by the Great Barrier Reef.

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland Australia

God I love Australia!

Every time I come here I am blown away by the giant, wide open skies, the beauty of these unspoiled beaches, the truth in the colors, and just how completely and utterly amazing this place really is!!

Oh - and the people?? Just the most wonderful, friendly, fun folks on earth!

I should also be given some kind of award for having the balls to get on the beach here after nearly three weeks of food and wine in Italy. But meh - life's too short to let a few extra curves get in the way of a good time!

I was asked recently which are my 5 beauty products to take to Australia. I am really paring down my travel beauty stash, especially after Italy, where I really only wore 5 things each day.

So, heading to the land down under?

Here are 5 Must Have Beauty Products To Take To Australia

1. The Best Skin Serum Ever

Tatcha Radiant Deep Brightening Serum

My normal skin care routine involves layering as many heavy, deep moisturizing products as possible. But that doesn't work quite so well when you are traveling, and when you are traveling to a beach area where in all likelihood things will get a little steamier and more humid.

Tatcha's Radiant Deep Brightening Serum keeps your skin hydrated and makes it look luminous, as if lit from within. It is the absolute holy grail of serums, a celebrity favorite, and if I am scaling back my skin care to just one item, this is the one!

2. An On-Going Sunscreen Plan

 Colorescience Sunforgettable Mineral Sunscreen

I've used ColoreScience Mineral Sunscreen for years, and at home I always have one stashed in my handbag.
The sun in Australia is really fierce, so sun protection is extra important. 
I still start the day by slathering a broad spectrum 
SPF 85 all over my face and throat, but lets face it, once we have our makeup on, or are on the beach we are less likely to keep reapplying more sunscreen. We don't want to jack up whatever makeup we are already wearing, or if we are on the beach we don't want to be grinding sand into our skin.
This mineral powder sunscreen with it's own built in brush does double duty by knocking down excess shine (super benefit in humid climes) and letting you re-protect your skin every couple of hours without getting any cakey build up. 

After having Ultherapy (the greatest thing I ever did!) my entire makeup routine has changed. Ultherapy gives your skin lift and firmness, which means you no longer need to use makeup to create that illusion.
Thanks to Ultherapy, the entire time I was in Italy leading the Corinna B's World Glam Italia II Tour I only wore 3 makeup products each day. I'm rolling out the same game for Australia.

Read about Ultherapy here

If you are streamlining your makeup look you need to pay attention to 3 main things. Your brows, your lashes and your lips.

3. Serious Brow Game

Anastasia Brow Wiz
This mechanical brow pencil is perfect on many levels. The colors are spot on - not too ashy and not too red, so you can build a really nice brow, either sculpted or full, and not look artificial. It lasts all day too.

4. A Killer Mascara

Diorshow Blackout Mascara
I am loyal to the very end. I have used Diorshow Blackout Mascara ever since it first came out, and for me it is still just the greatest mascara out there. The color payoff is fantastic, and you can build thick, luscious, glossy lashes that stay looking fab until you take your makeup off at night.
When I'm beaching I use the waterproof formula, any other time I use regular.

5. Two Great Lip Options

When you are doing a bare faced look you need a strong brow balanced with a strong lip. When you are on vacation you really don't want to be messing with lipstick touch ups every 5 minutes, so I like to use a really saturated lip with a strong color payoff.
I'm in love with Temptu Color True Lipstick in Pink Hype

It's a nice blue based pink that packs some power while making your teeth and the whites of your eyes look sparkly and white.

On the days I don't want such a big lip game I've been wearing Nars Lipstick in Roman Holiday. 
This was actually a gift from a client and I wore it non stop in Italy when I wanted a softer, glossier mouth. Between the two I had all the bases covered. 

The Bucket List ~ 8 Places I Have To Visit Before I Die

Last week's travel post ( re-posted from The Daily Eight) got me thinking about making a bucket list of places I have to visit.
Where would you love to go? Tell me in the comments section below!

Banana Island, Doha Qatar

Anantara Banana Island, Doha

My Bahrani makeup artista friend has been telling me all about this magical man-made island 20 minutes from the heart of downtown Doha.

From the moment you get there, by luxury yacht or by helicopter, you immerse yourself in splendor. The accommodations are divine, with every room overlooking crystal clear, pristine waters (check the out here). 

Banana Island, Doha Qatar

There is no alcohol here, but there is everything else you can imagine, in abundance. It's exclusive, it's opulent, it's beautiful.
Check out the resort here

Petra Jordan

My Jordanian princesses have me desperate to visit the Rose City, so named for the color of the stone it is carved from. 
Thought to have been established in 312 BC, this UNESCO Heritage Site has been named one of the Seven Wonders Of The World, and is on Smithsonian Magazine's "28 Places To See Before You Die"

colbybrownphotography.com spectacular image of thousands of candles leading to the Treasury in Petra

"Only 5% of Petra has been excavated, but that 5% could take days to explore" You can read more about Petra in this blogpost by Ginger and Scotch

image of Petra via Ginger and Scotch blog

Petra, Jordan

Petra, Jordan

Tokyo

Tokyo

I have wanted to visit Japan for as long as I can remember.

Tokyo

If you are going to immerse yourself in a major city, why not check out this dynamic, mega city?

Tokyo

Tokyo

From shopping to night life to cherry blossoms there is so much culture and excitement to see and absorb here.

Also noteworthy is that Tokyo is extremely clean, functional, well organized and incredibly safe.

Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

Rio de Janiero

Ipanema Beach

Ipanema Beach, Copacabana Beach, bikini shopping, looking up at Christ the Redeemer up on Corcovado mountain,

Christ the Redeemer, Rio

Carnival, samba, bossa nova,

Carnival in Rio

drinking caipirinhas - Rio is one of the most visited cities in the southern hemisphere, home to the 2016 Summer Olympics, and a city I am dying to visit.

Caipirinha, Rio

Hamilton Island.

Hamilton Island

Beautiful Hamilton Island is the largest of the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland Australia.

Pristine and pure, the only motor vehicles on the island are those of tradesmen and public transport, all other commuting happens via golf cart.
Owned by Australian winemaker Bob Oatley and on long term lease to the Commonwealth Government, Hamilton Island is luxurious and beautiful and 

San Miguel de Allende

I once saw a program on the Travel Channel all about San Miguel de Allende. It has always stuck in my mind, this gorgeous little artsy town in the heart of Guanajuato in central Mexico.

The historic center of town has buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries and is full of light and color, expats and artists.

streets in San Miguel de Allende

doors in San Miguel de Allende

Great Wall Of China

I don't know exactly where along the Great Wall I would like to go.
I just want to go.

Playa Paraiso Cuba

Playa Paraiso, Cuba

Thought to be one of the most spectacular in the world, Playa Paraiso in Cuba is a secluded beach, gorgeous with turquoise waters and flour-like white sand.

Playa Paraiso, Cuba

I'm fascinated with all of Cuba actually. Everyone I know who has been there loves it, so not only Playa Paraiso is on my list, but Havana is too.

Playa Paraiso, Cuba